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COVID-19: key developments for Monday, April 27, 2020

4 Comments on COVID-19: key developments for Monday, April 27, 2020

Tyson execs say the food supply chain is in danger, but I have questions.

We may well be on the cusp of food shortages — many smart people I follow and talk to think we are, and I definitely think the risk is high enough that we should all prepare for it — but I don’t think this letter is just a friendly heads-up to America about an impending food crisis. Rather, companies typically don’t take out full-page text ads in national papers unless they’re either addressing a public relations crisis or trying sway elite opinion on a matter, and I think Tyson wants to do both.

Tyson has been closing its plants because workers are dying of COVID-19 and claiming that the company hasn’t been doing enough to protect them. So the company has a PR problem, and I think it also wants to argue for keeping plants open regardless of how bad things get.

Why are there so many COVID-19 outbreaks at pork plants?

U.S. reels toward meat shortage; world may be next

Great, the one silver lining to all this for me as a parent of small kids, is that at least my kids are safe. But maybe not, I guess. Coronavirus alert: Rare syndrome seen in UK children

Texas is re-opening this weekend, as are other states. In the president’s press conference tonight, he has endorsed the re-openings. I am not optimistic about this, which I’m calling The Great YOLOing, and I fear it will end in catastrophe. I hope I’m wrong.

Chinese internet users who uploaded coronavirus memories to GitHub have been arrested

Estimated excess mortality in the USA up to April 4 was about twice as big as explicit covid mortality. U.S. deaths soared in early weeks of pandemic, far exceeding number attributed to covid-19

One of the leaders of ReOpen NC group says she tested positive for COVID-19

Coronavirus Lingers in Air of Crowded Spaces, New Study Finds

WHO issues clarification claims after ‘confusing’ tweet about COVID-19 immunity passports

Study: 71 percent of jobless Americans did not receive their March unemployment benefits

Global coronavirus death toll could be 60% higher than reported

Experts demolish studies suggesting COVID-19 is no worse than flu

The rats are coming. Here’s how we can keep them away.

We Still Don’t Know How the Coronavirus Is Killing Us

Jon Stokes | jonst0kes

Jon Stokes is a co-founder of Ars Technica, founding editor of AllOutdoor, and contributing editor to The Firearm Blog. Jon's a lifelong knife collector, outdoorsman, and prepper.

  • 4 Comments
    • lemur April 27, 2020

      “Sweden: 22 Scientists Say Coronavirus Strategy Has Failed As Deaths Top 1,000”

      Hmm? As we speak, Sweden has over 2000 people dead from COVID-19:

      https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/09f821667ce64bf7be6f9f87457ed9aa

      “Avlidna” is the number to look for. The Forbes article is almost 2 weeks old.

      The latest I read in the news was Anders Tegnell (the guy responsible for the Swedish strategy) complaining that people were paying too much attention to the number of deaths. If it weren’t for those pesky numbers, people would not complain.

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      • Jon StokesStaff lemur April 27, 2020

        Good catch. I just removed that link, so thanks!

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    • texasboyshaun April 27, 2020

      Thanks for the great insight as always, Jon. As a Texan I am strongly opposed to our governor’s decision. It is much too early and people aren’t taking the precautions seriously. I almost lost my older sister to ARDS in 2015-she was on a vent and in a medically-induced coma for 6 weeks. I’m terrified of either one of us getting sick, so we’ve been quarantining ourselves since the beginning of March. I hope you and I are both wrong, and nothing bad happens to anyone from this decision. But I am not optimistic about it.

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    • SeaBee April 28, 2020

      Increasingly glad that I’ve signed up for a double meat share with my local CSA and put a deposit on 1/4 beeve for August slaughter. Kudos to the The Prepared for the early, careful spotlight on the developing meat situation in the US.

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