Coronavirus Special Coverage

A collection of news posted throughout the week for those that want signal, not noise.

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COVID-19: key developments for Monday, April 6, 2020

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as symptoms worsen

U.S. Stops Issuing Passports Except For ‘Life-Or-Death’ Emergencies

GlaxoSmithKline and Vir aim to take on Covid-19 with antibodies and CRISPR

New York is merging all its hospitals to battle the coronavirus. “We’re in an almost apocalyptic crisis, which requires cutting through the bullshit.”

Coronavirus: Government’s testing chief admits none of 3.5m antibody kits work sufficiently. “The UK government’s new testing chief has admitted that none of the 3.5 million antibody tests ordered from China are fit for widespread use…The tests did not pass the evaluation stage”.

Is 14 days enough? Evidence suggests it may not be.

Finnish study shows coronavirus aerosols remain airborne for minutes. “Findings suggest that aerosols remain airborne but no new recommendations will be issued on the basis of the study.”

Food bank lines. Real bad for social stability if this keeps up for long:

This tweet from the Chair of the New York City Council health committee is extraordinary:

Sweden, Singapore, and Japan are all tightening restrictions considering lockdowns. And South Korea is extending their lockdowns:

These are all countries that were thought to be doing it right, and they’re either tightening restrictions or considering it. This doesn’t bode well for a relaxation of US restrictions any time soon.

Europe looks for lockdown exit strategy as rate of new coronavirus cases and deaths slows

Coronavirus: Ontario long-term care homes preparing families for the worst. “‘They’re treating it like a hospice, like there’s no hope like they have stage four brain cancer and they just have to keep them comfortable because there’s nothing they can do,’ says Tanya Bartley, whose grandmother passed away at the home at the end of March.”

Wisconsin’s Warning for the November Election. “How are people expected to vote if they’re not supposed to even leave their homes?”

This is also bad news for my home state of Louisiana, one of the most obese states in the country:

Russian Doctor Detained After Challenging Virus Figures. “The police held overnight an outspoken Russian doctor, Anastasia Vasilieva, who was trying to deliver masks to an impoverished rural town.”

Some Swedish hospitals have stopped giving chloroquine to patients because of severe side effects.

From researchers in france: No Evidence of Rapid Antiviral Clearance or Clinical Benefit with the Combination of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Infection

Houston hasn’t reported a surge of coronavirus cases. But its hospitals tell a different story. “A jump in hospital admissions suggests that most coronavirus cases have gone undetected in America’s fourth biggest city.”

The Chinese Government Has Convinced Its Citizens That the U.S. Army Brought Coronavirus to Wuhan


  • 1 Comment

    • Girard Bent

      The question is not whether aerosols can stay airborne for long periods of time. I think that’s been known for a long time. The question, specific to COVID-19, is how long can the virus survive the oxygen levels and the dessication there. Don’t think we have an answer yet.

      On edit: my post seems to have gotten an automatic upvote so I downvoted it. Was that right?

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