There are over 36 million global cases. Global cases continue to accelerate. There have been over 1 million deaths. There are over 7.7 million cases in the US. There have been over 215,000 deaths in the US. Nearly 700 have died in the US since yesterday. Cases are on an upswing in the US again, with the US gaining nearly 40,000 in the last 24 hours. India gained over 72,000 new cases in the last 24 hours and has over 6.7 million cases.
If you haven’t already heard the news, President Trump, his wife, and a whole host of others who attended the SCOTUS event last week contracted COVID. Because he was significantly symptomatic right after testing results, Trump was medevac’d out in Marine One and treated briefly at Walter Reed, where he received Remdesivir, experimental monoclonal antibodies, dexamethasone, and supplemental oxygen. He returned to the White House after a few days, and clearly before his hospital treatment was concluded. He is presumably continuing his treatment in the White House.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
At least 12 others from the SCOTUS event have tested positive to date. Chris Christie has also been hospitalized:
Stephen Miller, a top Trump aide, has tested positive for coronavirus. There are now at least 11 positive cases from an outbreak at the White House. https://t.co/GPTnAXcn2J
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 6, 2020
There’s also a massive (triple digit) outbreak among Capitol Hill workers:
New: There are now 123 front-line workers in the Capitol complex who have have tested positive—or are presumed positive—for COVID-19, according to House Admin GOP Spokesperson Ashley Phelps.
Story coming.
— Chris Marquette (@ChrisMarquette_) October 6, 2020
In more extremely concerning news, Several Joint Chiefs of Staff are also quarantining:
BREAKING: The top US general, Gen. Mark Milley and several members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are quarantining after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for coronavirus, several US defense officials tell @barbarastarrcnn
— CNN NationalSecurity (@NatSecCNN) October 6, 2020
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett already had COVID this summer.
Hot Pockets may be in short supply due to supply chain issues. As if 2020 wasn’t horrible enough:
Several factors have caused short-term changes in availability for some Hot Pockets products, a Nestle USA spokeswoman said. The Defense Commissary Agency was told it won’t be getting some varieties of the popular snacks, including Lean Pockets. https://t.co/Jv5IWQz7Qk
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) October 3, 2020
Here’s a fantastic resource for educating yourself and protecting yourself from the aerosol spread of COVID. You’ll want to click the Google doc link. It’s lengthy but worth the read. It dispels a number of myths and is rich with analysis and citations.
Food rationing in China is the kind of signpost news all reasonably prepared people take seriously. It’s not outside the bounds of possibility that hunger beyond what we are currently experiencing is coming our way. Between this news and the anticipation of a possible severe COVID rebound over the winter, it might be wise to inventory your pantry once again.
China has gone into a soft form of food rationing nationwide, as UN warns of worst global food crisis in 50 yrs. Everyone from Alibaba's Jack Ma to elementary students under pressure to comply. Some restaurants switch to half-portions, others issue fines. https://t.co/rinHSwd7KG
— Eva Dou (@evadou) October 3, 2020
Hundreds of schools and businesses have closed again in NY because of rising cases:
https://twitter.com/FJNewsReporter/status/1312902153288249345?s=20
Another signpost issue I’m keeping my eyes on is the vaccine distribution network. Having this network in place and functioning smoothly is critical to an efficient vaccination program:
“If 50 million doses were available today, could we distribute them?” asked Glyn Hughes, head of cargo at the International Air Transport Association, a trade group. “The answer is almost certainly ‘No’, for every jurisdiction.” https://t.co/sJsRij7c9t via @WSJ @dougcameron
— Jennifer Smith (@JenSmithNYC) October 5, 2020
The CDC once again acknowledges aerosol spread and the risk for spread beyond 6 feet.
The White House is forcing the FDA to lower its vaccine safety standards.
Stimulus talks have failed once again. Here’s what’s at stake:
🚨🚨🚨Key consequence of stimulus talks falling through:
— Close to 30 million jobless ppl to permanently see an income cut of ~50%
— 40% of restaurants face closure in ~6 months, per surveys
— Tens of thousands of airline workers will be laid off
— No stimulus checks 2.0
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) October 6, 2020
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