The world has gained over 80,000 cases in a day, totaling over 1.5 million. The US continues to lead the case growth, gaining more than 30,000 cases and over 1,800 deaths since yesterday. Spain has surpassed Italy and Germany and now has over 150,000 cases. New York state also has nearly 150,000 cases, toping most other countries in the world.
1/3 of renters in American couldn’t pay rent this month. Many renters are protected from eviction at this time, but also face the terrible reality of never being able to catch up on missed rent payments. Considering that 16.5 million people have filed for unemployment in the last 3 weeks, the inability to pay rent may stretch far into the future.
The Federal Government is cutting funding to coronavirus testing sites. Some are going to be managed by their respective states and remain operational. Others are going to be shuttered. Officials in Pennsylvania, for example, are outraged as sites that were relied on are closing during what appears to be the state’s case peak. In another insult to the public health, academic labs have unused tests and are not running at capacity. Regulatory and administrative obstacles are preventing these labs from functioning as intended.
There’s evidence that the tuberculosis vaccine is protective against COVID-19. The evidence is from correlational studies around the world. Confounding factors may be impacting the correlation. Stronger evidence is needed before drawing a conclusion.
States need folks skilled in COBOL to help process unemployment claims. These 40-year-old outdated systems are bogged down with claims and few who know how to use systems in the first place. Meanwhile, people have been trying for weeks to even file a claim. Over 10% of the labor force is out of work.
Here are some helpful CDC Guidelines for essential workers. The guidance pertains to workers returning to work after virus exposure.
Is it viral reinfection, or reactivation? Both options are very frightening. If either possibility is a reality, going to back to work after mitigation strategies have ended may cause a second wave of infections.
Our pandemic-response infrastructure was spectacular—until it was dismantled. Now we’re paying the price. By mid-March, the US had only tested 350 per million people in the US. It is among the lowest testing rates in the world. The US has improved its testing capacity and rate since then, but still lags behind most developed countries.
Most of the cases in NY originated in Europe. We know this by analyzing the genome. The government restricted flights from China in January but didn’t extent the travel restrictions to European hot spots until February. By that time it was already here. Some good news from this analysis is that the virus’s mutation rate is relatively slow.
In confined spaces, the 6-feet rule may not be enough. Also, the 6-foot rule applies in all directions:
Social Distancing:
🦠Well…thank goodness the #coronavirus can’t be transmitted sideways 🙄
🦠The rules of virus chess forbid it
🦠You’re so one-dimensional
🦠X marks the spot
🦠And they want us to rely on everyone’s common sense…#TheKnight#COVID19#CoronavirusPandemic pic.twitter.com/7Al69nhh99
— Laurel Coons 🧬🧬🧬 (@LaurelCoons) April 9, 2020
Costco to give healthcare workers and first responders VIP access. These folks may show their IDs with their membership cards to go to the front of the line.
The Saudi royal family has been hit hard by the pandemic virus. The vast number of infections may have influenced the decision the call a ceasefire with Yemen.
Hear a CIDRAP podcast which includes a review of the current COVID-19 situation in the US, potential second waves, and more.
Hotel vouchers for California medical workers?
#LIVE Newsom: medical workers will receive hotel vouchers if they don't want to return home after working
ICU patients slightly down, hospitalizations up 4.1% statewide https://t.co/PEnMq4eDvb https://t.co/9PboopC6zV
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) April 9, 2020
The pandemic is changing funerary practices all over the globe. Many must grieve from a distance. There are reports of huge stashes of urns in multiple countries.
