A collection of key developments in the fight against COVID-19 (the actual virus is SARS-COV-2), posted throughout the week for those who just want the signal and not the noise. If there’s something you think we should include, sound off in the comments thread attached to the post.
Visit our Wuhan coronavirus status page and learn how to prepare for possible spread to your area. Scenarios, shopping lists, background info, and everything else you need, all in one place.
Previously: The previous day’s key developments post is here.
There are nearly 3,000 new cases globally today, with 71 deaths. 41 of those deaths occurred in Italy alone.
Tempers flare in Washington as testing remains delayed.
An 8.3 billion dollar bipartisan measure for emergency funds to fight coronavirus has been passed by the Senate.
The airline industry is taking a huge hit, and there’s little end in sight. Multiple airlines are cutting flights and incurring losses. On the bright side, airfares are dropping for those adventurous enough to fly.
Ports are suffering and increasingly less active. Logistics and supply chain disruption are certain to follow. Estimates of loss to the global GDP range from 2.4-9 trillion dollars (PDF warning). Economic fallout is likely to be huge even in the best-case scenario of contained spread of SARS-CoV-2. Researchers modeling these estimates call for global cooperative investment in public health.
Supply and demand shocks are already rippling through global economies as the movement of people becomes more constrained. If you want the economy moving, people need to be moving too.
Screening gaps at airports cause concern as confusion mounts about travel guidelines. O’Hare isn’t screening people from Italy and South Korea. Confirmed cases from Italy have already come though the beleaguered airport.
Northern California nurse, sick after caring for a confirmed patient, has been denied testing:
Pretty stark statement from a Kaiser nurse in NorCal who got sick after caring for a coronavirus patient, criticizing CDC for delays in testing. https://t.co/GDlOH7TLzz pic.twitter.com/wleK6CRVeQ
— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) March 5, 2020
CDC test primers are problematic, but easily corrected. Why is it so hard for the US to get it right when it’s PCR Test 101?
NYC orders mandatory testing for some public workers. Those who refuse may be quarantined.
Clinical trials for an mRNA vaccine are up and running in Seattle. mRNA vaccines do not use live virus. They are described by the team that made them as “plug and play” vaccines. NAIAD and Moderna have collaborated to produce them.
Influenza-like illness spikes in Hawaii.
The green line looks like a suddenly exponential type of growth in "Influenza Type Illness" for Hawaii 😳😬 pic.twitter.com/b7GEedvno0
— Plz Gorita Book (@PlzGoritaBook) March 5, 2020
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