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.
Deaths are mounting in the Pacific Northwest and cases continue to rise across the country: the US has 118 cases and 9 deaths. 7000 students called out sick from classes in Northshore School District.
The Federal Reserve made its largest rate cut since the financial crisis, at 50 basis points. The 10-year Treasuries dropped below 1% for the first time ever, signaling that investors are piling into the safest assets they can find.
The WHO upped its estimate for the disease’s case fatality rate (CFR) to 3.5%. It’s difficult to know what to make of this increase, especially since CFR varies with region, hospital access, demographics, and so on. Regardless, this is a worrying bit of signaling from a global health body that has been extremely careful and (some would say overly) cautious in its messaging.
Despite the growth in cases and the increased perception of risk among Americans, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper urged military commanders to vet their decisions up the chain of command before acting to protect troops so as not to contradict messaging from the White House. This seems, arguably, to prioritize the control of the narrative over control of the disease and its risks to US service members.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of Trump’s coronavirus task force, denies being muzzled–but adds it’s difficult to walk the tightrope of being honest with the American public.
COVID-19 is impacting China’s status as a leader in manufacturing, and the subsequent disruption to the global supply chain may be anything but temporary.
Americans are stocking up, and many stores are already having difficulty keeping up with demand. Retail analysts warned of an expectation of empty shelves in April, but many are seeing it now.
Of concern, the WHO states COVID-19 death rate is 3.4% around the world—an estimate higher than previously known.
The CDC, widely criticized for its slow and bumbling response to the SARS-CoV-2 global emergency, tells folks to prepare for the possibility of weeks of disruption to their normal routines. Testing capacity remains an issue for many states, though the CDC says anyone can now be tested if a doctor orders it. How quickly the few hundred extant tests per state will run out with this new expansion of criteria is anyone’s guess.
First responders continue to get quarantined in large numbers, and many are showing signs of getting sick—this is likely due to lax PPE practices and widespread ignorance of the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2.
Confusion about the process and timing of vaccine production continues.
You are reporting the comment """ by on