There are nearly 5.6 million global cases. Cases have grown linearly by ~600,000 each week for months. There have been over 351,000 deaths around the globe. There are over 1.7 million cases in the US. There have been over 100,000 deaths in the US alone.
Travel is down in Italy, rebounding in the US, and soaring in Germany. Phone data might give clues about the next hot spots:
Data show that greater mobility raises the risk of a second wave of cases https://t.co/bxpPMZkuZy
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) May 20, 2020
We’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth revisiting, especially when it’s coming from Sweden’s Chief Epidemiologist—Sweden is nowhere near herd immunity, but their rates of death are high. Perhaps they didn’t make the right choice.
Are meat processors fixing the prices? They’re selling high and sourcing low. The companies argue that supply shock secondary to offline plants is the driver of the prices. The Agriculture Department is now investigating.
South Korea’s public disclosures of COVID-19 status are certainly a privacy non-starter in the US. Their economy fared far better than China’s, and the disclosures did impact people’s behavior in a way that meaningfully reduced COVID-19 risks. But it will never fly in the US. Analysis of aggregate phone data and the release of names of the infected to local law enforcement have been tolerated, however.
Mongolia is faring spectacularly well during the pandemic. They claim to have zero deaths and zero local cases. Is it possible? They prepared, coordinated with WHO, suspended public celebrations, restricted travel, and encouraged masks. Imagine a world where multiple countries had done the same…
There’s an association between a variant of the ApoE gene known to increase risk of dementia and severe COVID-19 outcomes. The association remained even when then team controlled for a number of variables. More research is needed to better understand the role, if any, the ApoE variant genes play in the manifestation of severe COVID-19 disease.
This is the kind of dystopia that I, for one, will not abide. I don’t know about you all, dear readers. I’ll tolerate the aggregate analysis of cell phone data, but not being actively tracked with a bracelet:
A wave of companies are trying to sell tracking accessories to business owners eager to reopen under the aegis of responsible social distancing and to governments hoping to keep a closer eye on people under quarantine. https://t.co/lEuDf05B2E
— The Intercept (@theintercept) May 26, 2020
Meat industry workers are still getting sick and dying:
It's been almost a month since Trump signed an executive order encouraging meat plants to reopen.
Since then, worker deaths have more than tripled. Infections tied to plants have more than quadraupled. https://t.co/tP7ZNmpTve
— Taylor Telford (@taylormtelford) May 26, 2020
Detainee transfers are proliferating COVID-19 cases throughout ICE centers.
If it’s in the sewage, it’s coming to a town near you:
This graph is amazing. It shows that measuring #SARSCoV2 levels in municipal sewage almost perfectly predicts forthcoming #COVID19 cases with a full week's notice (R=0.994). It's one of several discoveries in this new study from @Yale: https://t.co/hZVdXebx2D. C-19 is #InThePoop pic.twitter.com/shNzTKYoYP
— Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS (@BrennanSpiegel) May 26, 2020
