| Weinstein moved to state prison day before 68th birthday Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:38 PM PDT  Harvey Weinstein was transferred to a state prison in New York on Wednesday as he begins to serve a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in his landmark #MeToo case. The disgraced film mogul, who will turn 68 on Thursday, is locked up at the maximum security Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, according to state prison officials. The prison, six hours by car from Manhattan, is likely just a temporary stop for Weinstein.
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| Proposed UN resolution would support Sudan's peace efforts Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:35 PM PDT |
| Merkel calls coronavirus 'biggest challenge since WWII' Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:44 PM PDT  Germany is facing its biggest challenge "since the Second World War" in the fight against the coronavirus, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday, in what observers called a "final warning" for citizens to heed sweeping confinement measures. Although her 15 years in office have been marked by blows like the financial crisis, the 2015 refugee crisis and Brexit, the veteran leader has never taken to the airwaves to address citizens directly outside of traditional New Year's greetings.
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| Italy virus deaths hit record as Trump goes on war footing Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:39 PM PDT  Italy on Wednesday reported nearly 500 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day official toll of any nation, as Donald Trump ordered sweeping new action against the pandemic and declared himself a war president. With the number of global coronavirus infections shooting past 200,000, governments announced new containment measures and the US Congress approved a $100 billion emergency relief package. As Trump announced the deployment of military hospital ships, German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a dramatic appeal to citizens.
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| New study says 'high temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce' spread of COVID-19 Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:30 PM PDT  A transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. The image was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH) A team of researchers unveiled the results of a new study last week that looked at how temperature and humidity may affect the transmission of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.According to the researchers' findings, "High temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce the transmission of COVID-19." An increase of just one degree Celsius and 1% relative humidity increase substantially lower the virus's transmission, according to the data analyzed by the researchers.The study is the latest in a limited but growing body of research, not all of which has been peer-reviewed, that examines the effect of weather on the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 illness. Chinese passengers check mobile phones at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) The researchers studied 100 different Chinese cities that each had more than 40 cases of COVID-19 from Jan. 21 to 23. According to AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor and Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell, the decision to study transmission on those dates was critical because that time period was before China intervened on Jan. 24 to stop the spread of the virus. Analyzing that timeframe allowed researchers to observe the natural spread of the virus before public health measures, which have since helped reduce the spread drastically in China, were implemented.That step was one of several sound methods taken by authors Jingyuan Wang, Kai Feng, Weifeng Lv of Beihang University, and Ke Tang from Tsinghua University, according to Ferrell. He also commended the authors' accounting for GDP per capita, which normalized the differences in health care facilities, and the normalizations for population density.The paper showed that the direct impacts of air temperatures and humidity levels could be seen plainly in the severity of outbreaks during the earlier stages of the virus spread.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP"In the early dates of the outbreaks, countries with relatively lower air temperature and lower humidity (e.g. Korea, Japan and Iran) saw severe outbreaks than warmer and more humid countries (e.g. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand) do," the researchers wrote."Considering the natural log of the average number of cases per day from February 8 to 29 as a rough measure of the severity of the COVID-19 outbreaks," the researchers continued, "we show that the severity is negatively related to temperature and relative humidity using 14 countries with more than 20 new cases during this period."Using the value R to represent the transmission, the paper also found that cities in northern China, where temperatures and relative humidity were lower, had larger transmission values than cities along the country's southeast coast. The scientists' findings align with what some experts have suspected about weather's impact, including Hong Kong University pathology professor John Nicholls, who told AccuWeather that research on a lab-grown copy of SARS-CoV-2, "in cold environments, there is longer virus survival than warm ones."Other infectious disease experts have voiced skepticism that warmer weather will help curb the spread of COVID-19. Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said earlier this month that warm weather will "probably not" slow down the spread, at least not significantly.When contacted by AccuWeather this week, Lipsitch said in an email that he had nothing to add to his earlier analysis.In applying the paper's findings to the forecast temperatures and humidity, the authors concluded that the arrival of summer and rainy seasons in the Northern Hemisphere can "effectively reduce the transmission of COVID-19," while the risk for the continued spread of the illness will remain in some countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The authors even added that normal summer temperatures and relative humidity in Tokyo suggest that the transmission would be significantly reduced in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics, currently scheduled to be kick off on July 24. According to their findings, by July, Tokyo's "estimated R value decreases from 1.914 to 0.992, a 48% drop!" The International Olympic Committee, even as the crisis has escalated in recent days, remained steadfast this week that the games will go on as planned this summer. A woman walks past a large display promoting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Friday, March 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Some experts are also pointing to the increased amount of UV rays from the sun the Northern Hemisphere will be subject to this time of year as a factor that could slow the virus."The sun angle changes significantly from the equinox to the solstice," AccuWeather meteorologist and Astronomy blogger Dave Samuhel explained. "That means a significant additional amount of solar radiation, or insolation, reaches the ground."UV light has been proven to kill other strains from the coronavirus family, like SARS and MERS, but there isn't research yet showing the same is true for SARS-CoV-2.Ferrell pointed out one key weakness in the study, which is the authors used temperature and relative humidity from 2019. Typically, meteorologists will use a broader data range, such as the 30-year normals. But Ferrell said in this case, a long-range weather forecast could be even more helpful than historical data. Temperatures across much of the continental U.S. from March to May will be higher in 2020, AccuWeather meteorologists predict. Projected temperature increases over the next few months are expected to align favorably for U.S. residents if the findings of the published paper prove true. With much of the U.S. forecast to see higher-than-normal temperatures in March and April, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, there is a chance that the virus could eventually "burn itself out," as Nicholls first suggested during a private conference call in early February."Although it will also, of course, depend on other factors like each country's place on 'the curve' of cases and the success of their response, Ferrell said, adding that an outbreak "could also re-emerge in the fall, as past epidemics have.""The good news would seem to be: At least the weather is not working against us for a few months," Ferrell said.If such temperature increases do occur, the paper's R value findings suggest that the U.S. will see a far lower transmission rate by the summer than the country is currently seeing in March. Early in March, the number of U.S. confirmed cases tallied in the dozens. By March 18, thanks to a notable increase in testing, that number had soared past 7,300. However, as the papers' authors, Nicholls, Ferrell, and a host of other health experts have noted, there are many factors that could influence the transmission of COVID-19, including public health policies, like social distancing, that have been enforced and the population's ability to carry those methods out. Even the virus' propensity for surviving on surfaces could be a complicating factor.While the weather may not be the ultimate factor in how devastating the pandemic becomes, researchers may now have a new tool to use in piecing together the puzzle."The transmission of viruses can be affected by a number of factors, including climate conditions (such as temperature and humidity), population density and medical care quality," the researchers said. "Therefore, understanding the relationship between weather and the transmission of COVID-19 is key to forecast the intensity and end time of this epidemic."Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Trump dubs COVID-19 'Chinese virus' despite hate crime risks Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:30 PM PDT  President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he doesn't think calling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" — or the "kung-flu," as one administration official reportedly called it — puts Asian Americans at risk of retaliation despite growing reports they are facing virus-related discrimination. Since coronavirus infections started appearing in the United States in January, Asian Americans have shared stories of minor aggression to blatant attacks from people blaming them for the pandemic, which has killed more than 130 people in the United States. Among the hate crimes reported in major cities with Chinese communities: An Asian man in a Brooklyn subway car who was yelled at and sprayed with Febreze air freshener.
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| Senate Passes Relief Bill; NYSE Floors to Close: Virus Update Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:17 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate cleared an economic relief package that would provide paid sick leave, food assistance and financial help for virus testing. President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, allowing the government to boost manufacturing of masks and protective equipment.The New York Stock Exchange will close its trading floors and go fully electronic. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo mandated that non-essential businesses have no more than half their workforce in the office.Europe surpassed China in the number of coronavirus infections. Schools in England will close. German Chancellor Angela Merkel signaled she may be open to joint European Union debt. Financial markets spasmed, sending U.S. stocks down more than 5% and Bloomberg's dollar index to a record.Key Developments:Cases hit 205,883 worldwide, deaths exceed 8,205Trudeau unveils stimulus worth 3% of economyNew York gets hospital ship from NavyJapan Olympic committee still planning summer eventEurope can't stop pandemic from rocking its foundationsThe U.S. and Canada closed its border to non-essential traffic.Gap plans to close some stores, and U.K. supermarkets are rationingSubscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg's Prognosis team here.Click VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus and here for maps and charts. For analysis of the impact from Bloomberg Economics, click here. To see the impact on oil and commodities demand, click here.NYSE to Move to Fully Electronic Trading (4:55 p.m. NY)The New York Stock Exchange will temporarily close its equities and options trading floors, moving to all-electronic trading starting Monday. "While we are taking the precautionary step of closing the trading floors, we continue to firmly believe the markets should remain open and accessible to investors," said NYSE President Stacey Cunningham. The markets will continue to operate under normal trading hours. Senate Passes Relief Bill, Plans for More Stimulus (4:25 p.m. NY)The Senate cleared the second major bill responding to the pandemic. The 90-8 vote, following House passage on Saturday, sends President Donald Trump a measure providing paid sick leave, food assistance for vulnerable populations and financial help for coronavirus testing.As the Senate voted, Republican and Democratic leaders were already working on the next proposal."I will not adjourn the Senate until we have passed a far bolder package that includes significant relief for small businesses," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor of the chamber.Read the full story hereNavy Hospital Ship Weeks Away From NYC Deployment (3:13 p.m NY)The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort will be dispatched to New York City as coronavirus cases almost doubled, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.The floating hospital, which has previously been sent to disaster zones like Haiti and post-Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, can help free 1,000 beds when it arrives in a few weeks, the governor said. Another ship, the Mercy, will head to the West Coast.Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters on Tuesday that hospital ships aren't equipped to handle infectious disease patients but could provide care for trauma victims, allowing more beds in hospitals on land to handle those with the coronavirus.Read full story hereGates Says Shutdowns Could Last 10 Weeks (2:20 p.m. NY)Bill Gates, who last week said he's stepping down from the board of Microsoft Corp. to devote more time to philanthropy, told Reddit users on Wednesday that the coronavirus shutdown could last as long as 10 weeks -- if things go well."If a country does a good job with testing and 'shut down' then within 6-10 weeks they should see very few cases and be able to open back up," he said.Detroit Automakers to Temporarily Shut U.S. Plants (2:20 p.m. NY)General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will temporarily shut down their U.S. plants.Ford will halt operations at all North American manufacturing facilities after Thursday evening shifts, according to a statement. GM and Fiat Chrysler also plan to idle their factories, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified ahead of official announcements.U.S. Mayors Request $250 Billion in Federal Aid (2:20 p.m. NY)The U.S. Conference of Mayors requested $250 billion from the federal government to aid local governments fighting the coronavirus outbreak.Cities are the front lines in addressing this public health crisis, according to the group's letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders on Wednesday.Johnson Closes Schools in England (1:30 p.m. NY)U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said schools will close from Friday, increasing restrictions on the British population as the country grapples with a spiraling coronavirus crisis.Johnson's announcement covers English schools, after administrators in Scotland and Wales earlier told schools in those regions to prepare to close from Friday."After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils, the vast majority of pupils, until further notice," Johnson said.School sites will be kept open to provide care to the children of key workers, Johnson said.U.S. Allows Doctors to Work Across State Borders (12:59 p.m. NY)Doctors and medical professionals will soon be allowed to practice across state lines, Vice President Mike Pence said.The step may help health workers move to hotspots where the new coronavirus is spreading and in some cases infecting hospital staff. Pence said the Department of Health and Human Services will issue the regulation Wednesday.New Jersey Identifies Closed Hospital (12:50 p.m. NY)New Jersey has identified one closed hospital as a potentialacute care facility that could be brought back online to handlean expected surge in patients, said Donna Leusner, a statehealth department spokeswoman.It would not serve as a special facility for Covid-19 patients. Rather, all hospitals in the state "need to be able to care for" such patients, she said. Leusner declined to identify the hospital under consideration.U.S. Invokes Defense Production Act (12:19 p.m. NY)President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, allowing the the government more latitude in emergencies to direct industrial manufacturing. He also said the Housing and Urban Development department will suspend foreclosures and evictions through the end of April.According to FEMA's website, the act allows for the president "to expedite and expand the supply of resources from the U.S. industrial base to support military, energy, space, and homeland security programs."Navy to Send Hospital Ship to New York City (12:14 p.m. NY)The Navy hospital ship Comfort is being dispatched to New York City.The floating hospital, which has previously been sent to disaster zones such as Haiti and post-Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, can provide 1,000 beds.Schiphol Shuts Majority of Piers At Airport (12:08 p.m. NY)Schiphol Airport, Europe's third largest by passenger traffic, will scale down operations to a core and shut five of its seven piers from March 24. Plane stands at shut concourses will be used as temporary parking spots for planes that will be grounded for a longer time.Italy May Ban Outdoor Recreation (10:30 a.m. NY)Italy may consider a complete ban on outdoor activities if people don't respect advice to stay at home during the nationwide lockdown to counter spread of coronavirus, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora told RAI television.Eurovision Song Contest Canceled (9:40 a.m. NY)The European Broadcasting Union canceled the Eurovision Song Contest, one of the world's most-watched televised events, which was due to be hosted in Rotterdam in about two months.The Netherlands earlier reported another 346 confirmed cases – the biggest daily increase – to 2,051, while deaths rose by more than a third to 58.Germany Stops Refugee Program (9:34 a.m. NY)Germany has stopped the resettlement program for refugees as part of the government's measures against the coronavirus, a spokesman for the interior ministry said on Wednesday. As part of the EU-Turkey agreement, Germany has taken in refugees from Syria and Turkey since 2012.JPMorgan Pledges $50 Million (9:12 a.m. NY)JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s philanthropic plan is aimed at supporting people, communities and businesses impacted by the pandemic, according to statement Wednesday.Portugal Offers Credit Lines for Tourism (9:05 a.m. NY)Portuguese Economy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira announced new credit lines for businesses most affected by the outbreak, such as restaurants and the tourism sector. They will be guaranteed by the state, provided through the banking system and may be paid back over four years.Austria, Italy Start Using Mobile Data to Gauge Lockdown (8:22 a.m. NY)Officials in Austria and Italy are starting to use location data transmitted by mobile phones to determine the effectiveness of their coronavirus lockdowns.U.K. Pledges to Support Renters, Increase Testing (8:10 a.m. NY)In addition to measures announced on Tuesday to support homeowners through the crisis, the government is preparing legislation to protect from renters from eviction. Ministers are also preparing additional measures to help workers, after announcing a business support package. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.K. will ramp up to 25,000 the number of people they test daily for coronavirus and that scientists are "much closer to getting a generally available test" to see if people have had -- and already recovered from -- the virus.Johnson said further steps would be taken on schools. Some of the country's most prestigious private schools are closing, even as the government is keeping its school system open. The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar in over three decades on the shocks caused by the outbreak.Xi Says Pressure on China's Economy Is Intensifying (8:01 a.m. NY)The pressure on China's economy is mounting as the coronavirus spreads, President Xi Jinping said, in comments reported by CCTV.French Government May Seek to Declare Health Emergency (8 a.m. NY)French consumption could drop 2% this year and inflation could decline to 0.6%, AFP reported, citing an amended finance bill. The government will be allowed to use orders to support companies, according to the bill cited by AFP.Meanwhile Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the government will do "whatever it takes" to prevent unemployment and liquidity squeezes, readying funds equivalent of 38 billion euros ($42 billion), or almost 10% of its economic output to limit the fallout of the crisis.Ackman Says U.S. Should 'Shut Down' for 30 Days (7:50 a.m. NY)"The only answer" in the U.S.'s fight against coronavirus is to shut down the country for 30 days and close the borders, hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman said in a series of posts on Twitter Wednesday, addressing Trump.All Americans should be put on an "extended Spring Break", he added, which would lead to a plummeting infection rate and soaring markets.Former Chairs Urge Fed to Do More (7:45 a.m. NY)The U.S. Federal Reserve must limit the long-term effects of the coronavirus, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen write in an op-ed for the Financial Times. The former chairs said the Fed has a "useful role to play" and that fiscal policy will have "to do more" as the impact of the virus becomes apparent.The central bank "must ensure that the economic damage from the pandemic is not long-lasting." It should also ensure that credit is available for otherwise sound borrowers, who face temporary issues, Bernanke and Yellen said.Gap to Temporarily Close North America Stores (7:40 a.m. NY)Gap will temporarily close its Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, Janie and Jack and Intermix stores across North America, effective March 19.Poland Pledges Stimulus, Oman Ready to Add Liquidity (7:21 a.m. NY)Poland announced a rescue package designed to shield the economy that will cost around $52 billion, or roughly 9% of gross domestic product. Separately, Oman is prepared to add $20.8 billion in liquidity to provide relief from economic damages caused by the virus, its central bank said. Earlier, Iceland's central bank made a second emergency interest rate cut in a week and injected fresh liquidity.Santander Portugal Unit Chairman Dies From Coronavirus (6:40 a.m. NY)Banco Santander Totta Chairman Antonio Vieira Monteiro has died after being infected with coronavirus, Portuguese newspaper Expresso reported on Wednesday, citing a source at Santander in Portugal. The 73-year-old Vieira Monteiro was CEO of Santander's Portuguese unit from 2012-2018 before becoming chairman. Vieira Monteiro is the second known death from coronavirus in Portugal.Moscow Police Tap Cameras to Track Violators (6:35 a.m. NY)Moscow police have used the city's massive camera network to nab over 200 people for violating quarantine required after returning from high-risk countries. The authorities say they are using one of the world's most-comprehensive facial-recognition systems to monitor the more than 13,000 people in the Russian capital under mandatory self-isolation measures. People found to transmit coronavirus to someone else could face jail time in Russia, with a maximum sentence 5 years if the sick person dies.European Banks Get $130 Billion, Easing Dollar Stress (6:30 a.m. NY)Lenders from the euro zone borrowed the bulk of the money -- $112 billion in operations coordinated by the European Central Bank. That's the biggest use of the crisis-era swap lines since the global financial meltdown more than a decade ago. U.K. lenders took $15.5 billion via the Bank of England, and Swiss institutions took $2.6 billion.Japan Adds Travel Curbs (6:05 a.m. NY)Japan will ban visitors from Italy and Spain from Thursday and impose voluntary quarantine of 14 days on visitors from 38 countries including Iran and nations in Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The U.S. is temporarily blocking all refugee admissions Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:17 PM PDT  The U.S. won't accept any refugees for nearly three weeks over COVID-19 concerns.On Tuesday, the United Nations refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration announced a temporary pause in refugee resettlement to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. That led the U.S. to pause its admissions until at least April 6, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.The U.N. and International Organization for Migration — which is in charge of booking refugees' travel — implemented the pause after a number of countries limited travel in and out of their borders over COVID-19 fears. Decision-makers also said they wanted to limit refugees' exposure to the virus. "We notified our implementing partners to expect a refugee arrivals pause from March 19 through April 6," the State Department spokesperson said in an email to NBC News, with admissions expected to resume April 7.The EU on Tuesday closed off its external borders, and the U.S. halted travel from Europe earlier this month. Just Wednesday, the U.S. and Canada closed their shared border in a mutual agreement. President Trump hasn't said he'll close the border with Mexico, but he did block asylum seekers from the country even though it has seen relatively few cases of COVID-19; this could be due to a lack of testing. Trump has slashed refugee admission numbers year after year during his presidency and has even reportedly toyed with the idea of ending them altogether.More stories from theweek.com Bernie Sanders is focused on the 'f---ing global crisis' CDC investigation reveals why coronavirus likely hit Seattle-area nursing homes so hard Senate passes coronavirus aid package
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| Editorial Roundup: US Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:15 PM PDT |
| UN names new head of troubled Palestinian refugee agency Posted: 18 Mar 2020 01:41 PM PDT |
| Wary of official virus claims, Russians brace for worst Posted: 18 Mar 2020 12:30 PM PDT  While President Vladimir Putin has reassured the public that the virus pandemic is under control, many Russians instinctively distrust the official claims and fear the true situation is much worse. In this case, Russia reacted quickly in late January as the virus epidemic raged in China, closing its border that runs for 4,200-kilometres (miles) and banning entry to most Chinese citizens including tourists. As late as March 6, Russia had only 10 cases on its soil.
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| US coronavirus testing Q&A: how many have been tested and is there a shortage? Posted: 18 Mar 2020 12:30 PM PDT  Capacity has slowly begun to increase, but frustration is widespread as there appear to be no guarantees * Coronavirus – live updates * See all our coronavirus coverageTesting for Covid-19 in the US has seen a lot of setbacks in the past few weeks thanks to a seemingly endless list of problems – and few solutions from the White House. As the virus has no cure or vaccine, the lag in testing has led to health departments suggesting that anyone who is experiencing symptoms should self-isolate rather than seek testing, unless they meet specific requirements. But as the virus spreads rapidly, the need for quick and accurate testing has become clearer each day.Here is what we know about testing in the US so far. How many people in the US are being tested for Covid-19?A precise number of people who have been tested in the US has not been made available. Every day, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publicly reports the number of specimens collected by CDC labs and public health labs, using numbers from state health departments – some of which only report positive cases.The most accurate publicly available data on testing in the US is being provided by a volunteer-run data collaboration project called the Covid Tracking Project. The project collects data directly from all US states and territories and breaks down the number of tests by positive, negative and pending cases.As of Wednesday morning, the project said 56,590 people had been tested, with about 2,000 cases pending. Is there a shortage of tests?For the last few weeks, public health experts have been raising serious concerns about the availability of testing. In a four-day period from 8 March to the morning of 11 March, only 77 people in the country were tested.Within the last few days, however, the US testing capacity has slowly started to increase. Earlier this month, the CDC said labs were conducting about 2,500 tests per day. On 16 March, the number rose to 8,200. To put things into perspective, South Korea – which has been hailed for its rapid testing of its population that is about one-sixth of the US's – tests about 20,000 people a day.The uptick can be attributed to the ability of more labs to process tests and the rollout of equipment that makes processing quicker. Though the US is starting to see more tests being processed, Deborah Birx, a top official in the US team responding to coronavirus, warned hospitals and labs on Sunday that there would be a "pent-up demand" for testing and advised that they stock up on their equipment.With this demand, it will probably be a while until testing is available for all those who are showing symptoms. Who is getting tested in the US?Decisions about who is getting tested are being made at the county and state level.Broadly, CDC guidelines to healthcare professionals say that those tested must be showing symptoms, and priority is given to those who are in hospital, are at risk for the virus's most deadly effects (elderly people and those with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems) or had known contact with a person who tested positive as priorities for testing. The CDC also says those who have a history of travel from "affected geographic areas" – China, Iran, South Korea and parts of Europe – should be prioritized.But there appears to be no guarantee of a test. Over the past few weeks, there has been a flood of stories of people who are symptomatic and should be prioritized by testing, but were not: for example, the elderly husband of a coronavirus patient who died from the illness, healthcare workers who may have been exposed to the virus and countless numbers of symptomatic travelers to countries with known outbreaks. Those who have been tested have often described frustrating experiences of being sent from one place to another seeking a test.Fueling the frustration are stories of high-profile figures who have managed to get tested. The NBA got 58 tests within six hours for players of the Utah Jazz, though it is unclear how many players were actually showing symptoms. A fashion influencer who had body aches and a fever was tested with the help of a friend, after other doctors she spoke with told her she did not qualify for testing in New York state. Where are people being tested?The CDC says public health labs in all US states and most territories are currently processing tests.People who have been able to get a test have mostly been tested in hospitals and urgent care centers, but many places are now moving to mobile testing sites with the goal of making sure symptomatic people do not further spread the illness. Dozens of drive-through testing sites have begun popping up across the country, though many require an appointment to be tested.The mobile sites are meant to be places where people can get samples taken – essentially a swab up the nose – and then their samples are taken to a lab for processing. What should a person do if they are showing symptoms?Broad recommendations from the CDC and local health department recommend calling a primary healthcare provider or the local health department if experiencing symptoms associated with the virus, such as fever and coughing. Those who experience severe symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath are advised to seek medical attention immediately.
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| U.S.-China Ties Are Tanking Just When They Need to Get Along Posted: 18 Mar 2020 12:23 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The unfolding coronavirus pandemic could've been a moment for the U.S. and China to tackle a shared challenge. Instead, it appears to only be accelerating a long-anticipated separation.China struck the latest blow Wednesday with the unprecedented expulsion of more than a dozen American journalists covering Beijing for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The provocation comes as part of a tit-for-tat exchange in which the governments of both President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping seek to deflect blame for how they've handled the outbreak.In Beijing, as in Washington, the virus crisis has boosted hardliners over those who favor preserving relations with a key trading partner and military rival. One Chinese official said Wednesday that the two sides were entering a difficult period that could last a long time. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the remarks weren't authorized, said that "a new Cold War is indeed unfolding."Before moving to oust the American correspondents, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman repeated a conspiracy theory that U.S. Army athletes introduced the disease, part of an effort to push back against the Trump administration's push to blame it for the outbreak ravaging the world economy. Trump has characterized it repeatedly as a "Chinese virus" -- including three times early on Wednesday -- as he looks to rally his base against a foreign adversary ahead of a November election.While it's unclear how far leaders will allow the dispute to escalate, demands for "reciprocity" on visas extend far beyond media access. At the height of trade tensions last year, Chinese students and visiting academics have found their ability to work and study in the U.S. under threat.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Wednesday that the country would be "compelled to take further countermeasures" if the U.S. continued down the "wrong path."The feud between the world's two biggest economies -- and leading scientific powers -- is escalating just as the international community looks for leadership to contain a virus that has infected almost 200,000 people and may have already pushed the globe into recession. In the absence of a clear strategy, nations are going it alone -- potentially undercutting each other's efforts in the process.China Guts U.S. Press Corps in Beijing With Mass Expulsions"The government of Xi Jinping has crossed a Rubicon that puts the U.S. and China on opposite banks in an increasingly antagonistic and irreconcilable state of play," said Orville Schell, director of the Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations and a former dean of the Berkley Graduate School of Journalism. "With this kind of self-destructive retaliatory action, it makes it increasingly unlikely the two nations will soon find ways to work together on other critical issues of common interest like the present pandemic, much less future trade and climate change."As first, it looked like Trump and Xi might be able to build on good will from the "phase one" trade deal they signed in January to work together against the outbreak, with the U.S. president praising his counterpart's hard-line approach. But the two governments quickly began bickering over whether Xi's government was being transparent enough, and the U.S. resumed efforts to curb activities by China's state media outlets on American soil.China Further Erodes Hong Kong's Autonomy With Journalist CullIn the meantime, China used the opportunity to weaken one of the few sources of critical coverage in its highly censored media landscape: foreign correspondents. Last month, it expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters over an opinion piece that described China as the "real sick man of Asia." The Trump administration hit back by ousting about 40% of staff at four Chinese media outlets."I don't like seeing that at all," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, when asked about the latest Chinese move against U.S. reporters. Pressed about his repeated references to the outbreak as the "Chinese virus," Trump said that "it's not racist at all" because "it comes from China" and Xi's government "could have given us a lot earlier notice."The disputes have reaffirmed concerns that the trade pact was merely a pause in hostilities rather than the foundation for a truce. The outbreak and the resulting economic downturn has raised new doubts about China's ability to meet its pledges to expand imports of American goods and bolstered nationalistic arguments on both sides of the Pacific for a more confrontational approach.The fight has seen the nations' diplomatic corps, who had traditionally worked to moderate tensions, thrust onto the front lines of the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo irked China earlier this month by describing Covid-19 as the "Wuhan virus," undercutting Beijing's efforts to raise doubts about the city being the source of the outbreak.'Very Unfriendly'Health experts warn that Trump's and other adminstration officials' use of "Chinese virus" risks stigmatizing an entire ethnic group. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded with a pair of tweets repeating an unfounded theory that U.S. Army athletes first brought the virus to Wuhan."China is only taking countermeasures," said He Weiwen, a former official at the Chinese consulate in San Fransisco. "Since the Covid-19 outbreak in China in January, Washington has been very unfriendly, even hostile to China. The journalists' expulsion was only one of the latest moves, which of course deteriorated the trade environment."Still, China's mass expulsion of American journalists will have far-reaching consequences for the world's ability to understand what's going on in the globe's most populous country. While the newspapers will retain non-American staff and U.S.-based news wires remain, some of the reporters ousted produced groundbreaking stories about China's mass detention of ethnic Uighur minority and other sensitive topics.'Bulletproof'The country's leadership also receives daily summaries of international news outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, according to two Chinese officials familiar with the arrangements.Richard McGregor, a former Financial Times bureau chief in Beijing who's now a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, said China's leaders "must feel bulletproof" as their own outbreak appears to subside and the U.S. struggles with surging coronavirus cases."China is now doing things that the hardliners have always wanted to do, but would either have been restrained by other parts of the system or wouldn't have felt strong enough to get away with," he said. "It is a moment to move on all fronts, and we see them doing that."(Updates to add Trump comments in 11th paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.S. Virus Plan Anticipates 18-Month Pandemic and Widespread Shortages Posted: 18 Mar 2020 12:11 PM PDT  WASHINGTON -- A federal government plan to combat the coronavirus warned policymakers last week that a pandemic "will last 18 months or longer" and could include "multiple waves," resulting in widespread shortages that would strain consumers and the nation's health care system.The 100-page plan, dated Friday, the same day President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, laid out a grim prognosis for the spread of the virus and outlined a response that would activate agencies across the government and potentially employ special presidential powers to mobilize the private sector.Among the "additional key federal decisions" listed among the options for Trump was invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950, a Korean War-era law that authorizes a president to take extraordinary action to force American industry to ramp up production of critical equipment and supplies such as ventilators, respirators and protective gear for health care workers."Shortages of products may occur, impacting health care, emergency services, and other elements of critical infrastructure," the plan warned. "This includes potentially critical shortages of diagnostics, medical supplies (including PPE and pharmaceuticals), and staffing in some locations." PPE refers to personal protective equipment.The plan continued: "State and local governments, as well as critical infrastructure and communications channels, will be stressed and potentially less reliable. These stresses may also increase the challenges of getting updated messages and coordinating guidance to these jurisdictions directly."The plan, which was unclassified but marked "For Official Use Only // Not For Public Distribution or Release," was shared with The New York Times as Trump escalated his efforts to curb the spread of the virus. After weeks of playing down the seriousness of the pandemic, saying it would miraculously disappear, Trump began shifting to a more sober tone during a news conference Friday announcing the national emergency.Much of the plan is bureaucratic in nature, describing coordination among agencies and actions that in some cases have already been taken, like urging schools to close and large events to be canceled. But its discussion of the Defense Production Act came as lawmakers and others urged Trump to invoke its powers."While the administration's response has so far lacked the urgency this crisis has called for, there are still steps you can take to mitigate the damage," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., wrote in a letter to Trump on Tuesday. "Invoking the powers vested in the DPA will enable the federal government to step up and take the type of aggressive steps needed in this time of uncertainty."Another letter sent last week by 57 House Democrats led by Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan made similar points: "During World War II, our country adapted to the demands of the time to produce mass quantities of bombers, tanks, and many smaller items needed to save democracy and freedom in the world. We know what the demands of this time are, and we must act now to meet these demands."Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said that Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper told him on Tuesday that the Pentagon would provide federal health workers with 5 million respirator masks and 2,000 specialized ventilators. "The American public is on wartime footing in terms of battling the spread of this disease, and the Pentagon has to be part of the effort to help protect the health and safety of the American people," Reed said.But Trump said on Tuesday that he was not ready to invoke the Defense Production Act. "We're able to do that if we have to," he told reporters. "Right now, we haven't had to, but it's certainly ready. If I want it, we can do it very quickly. We've studied it very closely over two weeks ago, actually. We'll make that decision pretty quickly if we need it. We hope we don't need it. It's a big step."Passed in 1950 shortly after U.S. troops went to war defending South Korea against an invasion from North Korea, the Defense Production Act was based on powers used during World War II and authorized the president to require businesses to prioritize and accept contracts necessary for national defense.Over the years, its scope has been expanded to include domestic preparedness and national emergencies. A president can make direct loans or loan guarantees and purchase commitments, subsidies or other incentives to influence industry to help in times of crisis.Other key decisions outlined as options for the president include distributing medical supplies and equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile, providing money to states to help them meet demands caused by the coronavirus outbreak and prioritizing the distribution of essential resources to focus on areas most in need."The spread and severity of COVID-19 will be difficult to forecast and characterize," the government plan said. It warned of "significant shortages for government, private sector, and individual U.S. consumers."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Two 20-somethings extend 'invisible hands' in virus outbreak Posted: 18 Mar 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Liam Elkind's big heart and his break from college was a highlight of 83-year-old Carol Sterling's week. Elkind, a junior at Yale, and a friend, Simone Policano, amassed 1,300 volunteers in 72 hours to deliver groceries and medicine to older New Yorkers and other vulnerable people. On delivery day Tuesday, Elkind and Sterling met for the first time over her paper bag of groceries outside her 15th-floor apartment on the Upper West Side.
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| Boris Johnson Dismisses Calls to Delay Brexit as Virus Roils Politics Posted: 18 Mar 2020 11:39 AM PDT |
| Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, who circled moon, dies at 88 Posted: 18 Mar 2020 11:34 AM PDT  Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, who circled the moon alone in 1971 while his two crewmates test-drove the first lunar rover, died Wednesday at age 88. Worden died in his sleep at a rehab center in Houston following treatment for an infection, said friend and colleague Tom Kallman. "Al was an American hero whose achievements in space and on Earth will never be forgotten," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement.
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| Coronavirus is Germany's biggest challenge 'since Second World War' Angela Merkel says Posted: 18 Mar 2020 11:07 AM PDT  Angela Merkel told Germany it is facing its greatest challenge since the Second World War in the struggle against the coronavirus on Wednesday. In her first televised address to the nation in more than 14 years in power, Mrs Merkel asked Germans to stand together. "This is serious. And we must take it seriously," the German chancellor said. "There has been no such challenge to our country since German reunification – no, not since the Second World War II – that relies so heavily on us all working together in solidarity." Eschewing grandiose rhetoric, Mrs Merkel made a heartfelt appeal to Germans to protect the most vulnerable in their society from the virus. "These are not simply abstract numbers or statistics. It is some one's father or grandfather, a mother or grandmother, a partner. They are people. And we are a community in which every life and every person matters," she said. "This is what an epidemic shows us: how vulnerable we all are, how dependent on the considerate behavior of others." Germany has seen just 27 deaths from the virus so far despite recording 10,082 infections — more than anywhere except China, Italy, Iran and Spain. Dressed in a trademark blue jacket, and sitting in front of a view of the Bundestag, Mrs Merkel told Germans they were is facing a "historial task" that will "change life in our country dramatically". "Our idea of normality, of public life, of social interaction — all of this is being tested like never before," she said. "Millions of you cannot go to work, your children cannot go to school or daycare, theatres and cinemas and shops are closed, and, perhaps, the hardest of all is that we are deprived of the social life that is usually a matter of course." Since becoming chancellor in 2005, Mrs Merkel has steered Germany through the financial crisis, the euro crisis and — more controversially — the migrant crisis of 2015. But in a sign of how serious the situation is, this was the first time she has ever made a television address to the nation. "I am addressing you in this unusual way today because I want to tell you what guides me as chancellor and all my colleagues in the government in this situation. That is part of an open democracy," she said. The aim of the government-ordered lockdown was to "slow down the spread of the virus, to stretch it over the months and gain time," she said. "Germany has an excellent health system, perhaps one of the best in the world... But our hospitals would be completely overwhelmed if too many patients were admitted in a short time suffering from a severe coronavirus infection." Invoking her own childhood in communist East Germany, she said: "Let me assure you: for someone like me, for whom freedom of movement and movement were a hard-won right, such restrictions can only be justified in absolute necessity. They should never be taken lightly and only temporarily imposed in a democracy, but they are indispensable now to save lives." She pledged that her government would do "whatever it takes" to cushion the economic impact and save jobs. She promised the food supply was secure and spoke out against panic buying and hoarding. "It is up to each of us. We are not doomed passively to accept the spread of the virus," she said. "We have a remedy: we have to keep a distance from each other out of respect. "We want to be close to one another, especially in times of need... Unfortunately, the opposite is true at the moment. And everyone really has to understand that at the moment only distance is an expression of care." It was by far the most dramatic public pronouncement of Mrs Merkel's long time in office, and won immediate praise from her political contemporaries. "Mrs Merkel is not fond of big words, unless times are really hard," said Sigmar Gabriel, who served as her vice-chancellor from 2013 to 2018. "If some one like her speaks so seriously to the people, then it is really serious."
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| UK's Johnson says extension to Brexit transition period not being discussed Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:50 AM PDT |
| Major storm system to spread snow, trigger severe weather across Middle East Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:48 AM PDT  It's been a stormy March for the Middle East, and that trend will continue as another storm threatens the region with disruptive weather later this week.The next storm will emerge from the Mediterranean Sea and move into the Middle East on Friday with another dose of wet weather."Cold, unstable air moving in with the storm will allow snow to fall across parts of Turkey, as well as showers and thunderstorms from southern Turkey to northern Saudi Arabia," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk.Snowfall accumulations will be highest in the hilly terrain of Turkey, where several centimeters (inches) are possible. Roads, especially those through higher elevations, may become covered in snow. The rain and thunderstorms on the southern side of the storm may be equally as disruptive, especially from northeastern Syria to the coast of the Mediterranean.When thunderstorms do occur, heavy downpours may create ponding on roadways. Lower elevations as well as mountainous and arid locations will be most susceptible.These threats could reach major cities such as Jerusalem, Beirut and Damascus."While the greatest severe weather threat with any thunderstorms will be lightning, isolated cases of gusty winds and hail are also possible," added Houk.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPShould gusty winds arrive ahead of precipitation, the winds could stir up any sand and create a sand or dust storm.As the storm continues to move east through the weekend into Iraq and Iran, it will produce more severe weather for locations around the Persian Gulf. "Bursts of strong winds will accompany thunderstorms sweeping through southern Iran and eastern Saudi Arabai to UAE and northern Oman," said Houk.In addition to the strong winds, which will be capable of causing damage as well as conjuring up a sandstorm, thunderstorms will be capable of producing flooding downpours and hail across this area into Sunday.Residents in the region should remain alert of the changing weather conditions and have a safe place to seek shelter.The storm will shift to the east early next week, allowing dry conditions to return to the region as a whole. More storminess could return to Turkey by the middle of next week.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Many pastors follow coronavirus rules but some defy them Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:44 AM PDT  On the first Sunday after the coronavirus began upending American life, some religious institutions – including two churches whose pastors are close to President Donald Trump – held in-person services amid public health worries over the pandemic. Pastor Robert Jeffress, a stalwart evangelical ally of Trump, held services at his First Baptist megachurch this past Sunday in accordance with Dallas-area limits on gatherings of more than 500 people but said in an interview that this week, he would hold online-only worship. The Florida church where Paula White, Trump's personal pastor and a White House adviser on faith issues, invited congregants to in-person services this past Sunday will also shift to online-only status this week, according to a spokeswoman.
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| Italy reports 475 coronavirus deaths, the highest single-day death toll for any country since the outbreak began Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:42 AM PDT  At the peak of its outbreak, China's highest single-day death toll was 150. Iran and Spain, both hit badly, have not recorded more than 200 in a day.
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| Cancer, heart surgeries delayed as coronavirus alters care Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:19 AM PDT  Some cancer surgeries are being delayed, many stent procedures for clogged arteries have been pushed back and infertility specialists were asked to postpone helping patients get pregnant. Medical groups issued advice this week on how hospitals and doctors should adapt as beds and supplies are pinched and worries rise about exposing patients to possible infection. Luciano Orsini's operation, set for April 1 at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, was pushed to April 29.
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| US nursing homes warn of looming shortage of masks and gowns Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:15 AM PDT  Many nursing homes risk running out of protective masks and gowns by next week because of the coronavirus, and at least one facility already had to resort to using plastic garbage bags to make gowns, an industry group warned Wednesday. "We really need to take drastic action to conserve masks and gowns going forward," said Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer at the American Health Care Association, one of the main trade groups representing the nation's 15,600 nursing homes.
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| Sick staff fueled outbreak in Seattle-area care centers Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:08 AM PDT  Staff members who worked while sick at multiple long-term care facilities contributed to the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable elderly in the Seattle area, federal health officials said Wednesday. Thirty-five coronavirus deaths have been linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland. A report Wednesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the most detailed account to date of what drove the outbreak still raging in the Seattle area where authorities closed down restaurants, bars, health clubs, movie theaters and other gathering spots this week.
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| A snapshot of Mexico's cartel landscape amid rising violence Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:59 AM PDT |
| AP Exclusive: Barr creating task force on prison misconduct Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:36 AM PDT  The Justice Department is creating a special task force to address criminal misconduct by federal Bureau of Prison officers at several correctional facilities after a loaded gun was found at the same jail where wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, Attorney General William Barr told The Associated Press. In an interview with the AP, Barr said he was planning to establish the task force that would "have a very aggressive review of potential misconduct by correction officers in certain institutions around the country."
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| Israel parliament speaker shuts Knesset, enraging opposition Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:21 AM PDT  Israel's Knesset speaker Wednesday abruptly adjourned all parliamentary meetings until next week, apparently a response to the new coronavirus, in a move that froze opposition efforts to discuss bills seeking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ouster. The decision drew angry accusations from Netanyahu's opponents that the embattled prime minister is using the coronavirus crisis to cement his hold on power. Netanyahu's rival vowed to challenge the parliamentary delay in the Supreme Court, while Israel's president warned the country's democratic system was being threatened.
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| America Botched Coronavirus Testing. We're About to Find Out Just How Badly. Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:11 AM PDT  Keith Jerome thinks he's onto something.As director of the University of Washington Virology Lab, Jerome and his colleagues have been working to develop an alternative that would allow patients to be tested for the 2019 novel coronavirus where they're receiving care—and get results within an hour. Reducing the current time lag of a day or more could greatly speed up treatment of COVID-19 cases as infection and death mount across the country, he explained."We're trying to make this something that's not a whole lot more complicated than a pregnancy test," Jerome told The Daily Beast from his office inside America's first COVID-19 hot zone. Producing more rapid tests will require the lab to build in shortcuts that don't compromise accuracy, to gain FDA approval, and to partner with manufacturers to produce the test kits. What amounts to an urgent science experiment, Jerome said, will still take "a couple months, at best," even if there are no scientific, bureaucratic, or logistical hiccups.Experts have been saying for some time now that early failures and a lack of urgency from the U.S. government could prove especially costly in helping to flatten the pandemic's curve as testing capacity is belatedly ramped up. That's left an eclectic cast of individuals, private companies, and academics to fill a once-in-a-lifetime void. Jerome is one of them, and he and his team understand that they're working under tremendous pressure. "We know how important this is," he said. "We're operating in the unknown."Is Soap or Hand Sanitizer Best for Stopping Coronavirus?On New Year's Eve, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization that a new type of viral pneumonia was circulating in the city of Wuhan. Less than two weeks later, virologists published the entire genetic sequence of a new type of coronavirus from the same family of viruses that caused the SARS and MERS outbreaks.That blueprint, or genome, provided an effective means of identifying the infectious agent, now officially called SARS-2-CoV, or the 2019 novel coronavirus. Within two weeks of the release of that critical information, another team, led by researchers in Berlin, published a diagnostic method. The test offered one means by which labs could collect throat or nasal swabs and screen for new cases of COVID-19, as the disease caused by the virus is called, based on isolating and amplifying a genetic signature specific to it.The race was on as the WHO adopted the German-developed tests and distributed it to dozens of countries. But China, the United States, and several other countries developed their own ways to screen for a modern plague that has since infected over 200,000 people worldwide, including 6,500 people in all 50 states, causing at least 107 U.S. deaths.As has been widely reported, the early returns on the American side were not good.President Donald Trump's federal Coronavirus Task Force has taken steps in recent days to dramatically ramp up capacity. The very recent spike in testing, in turn, has uncovered thousands of previously hidden cases. But as labs scramble to scale up their efforts, interviews with experts and a review of research and testing data suggest that a cascade of errors and a lack of coordination, urgency, infrastructure, and basic lab supplies hampered diagnostic testing at a critical time. Coming back from that won't be easy. "I've actually been saying that this is going to be a problem since the beginning of January," said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in Palo Alto, Calif. and vice chair of the global health committee for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. "You can only scream so loud," Kuppalli said.The exponential growth of new cases in the U.S., in fact, suggest that the nation is closely tracking the same COVID-19 trajectory as hard-hit countries like Italy and Iran—and could soon be overwhelmed. But we're realizing the imminent danger far later than we could have.A rapid ramp up in testing is critical because understanding COVID-19 tallies and trends in specific locations and among different age groups can inform public health measures like event cancellations, school closures, quarantines and, now, shelter-in-place orders aimed at slowing person-to-person transmission. Testing early and often can turn up milder or even symptom-free cases in younger people who can nevertheless pass on the virus to far more susceptible individuals. "We need to be thinking along the lines of what South Korea has been doing in terms of their testing and use that as our modeling," said Jason Kindrachuk, an expert on emerging viruses and testing strategies at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg whose team established diagnostic testing in Liberia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. "If we find out who is infected as quick as possible, and if we get people undertaking social distancing, we can actually curb spread and transmission very quickly." In a recent Medium post, Belgian researcher Andreas Backhaus explained how intensified and widespread testing in South Korea (with a focus on early test development and drive-through testing locations) turned up an unusual spike in cases among 20 to 29 year olds. The country's aggressive testing and isolation strategies have slowed its epidemic and contributed to a preliminary country-wide mortality rate of less than 1 percent. Italy, conversely, has primarily tested patients with apparent COVID-19 symptoms, and older Italians have been hit especially hard, leading to the world's highest mortality rate at the moment. "Regarding the U.S., we are still completely in the dark," Backhaus writes.By Monday, estimated testing capacity in the U.S. had reached about 37,000 people per day, according to a list maintained by the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, a resident fellow at the Institute, said in an accompanying tweet that the update on capacity would be the group's last as more high-volume systems came online. The tally pointed to how far the U.S. had fallen behind. Although testing capacity has surged since last Wednesday, when President Donald Trump gave a national address about the outbreak, that measure only indicates how many people could be tested. An estimate of total tests performed by Tuesday evening had reached fewer than than 60,000, according to a crowdsourced effort called the COVID Tracking Project. Washington, California, and New York accounted for more than half of that total. The group effort, which lacks complete data for some states and U.S. territories, was launched in a bid to provide more complete and up-to-date numbers than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which temporarily stopped posting tallies altogether earlier this month. In a congressional hearing last week, CDC director Robert Redfield said the agency planned to build a data system to aggregate testing data from public and private labs and track the results in real time, but conceded that the agency didn't yet have such a system in place.Meanwhile, South Korea had tested nearly 287,000 people by Tuesday.Some experts have reacted warily to the U.S. testing numbers, noting that a confusing mix of academic, private, state, and federal labs with vastly different turnaround times may be clouding the true tally. "There's a lot of cooks in the kitchen, which is good in this situation because we need people tested," Kuppalli said. "Trying to keep track of these numbers can be extremely challenging," she said, particularly for larger states. Even so, she and others said getting a better handle on the tallies will be critical for health officials to understand what they're up against—and whether increasingly strict social distancing measures are having the desired effect. "We don't know what we're dealing with until we have those numbers," Kuppalli said.Facing intense criticism over the lack of testing capacity at a pivotal moment in the pandemic, the Trump administration on Friday joined private sector officials in promising that more help was on the way. Swiss biotech giant Roche announced that it had received emergency use authorization from the FDA for the first commercial test for the virus, which can be run on its fully automated, high-volume diagnostic systems, provided that hospitals and labs have them. Soon thereafter, Thermo Fisher Scientific followed suit with an announced approval of its own test.Roche's highest capacity system can deliver 960 test results per 8-hour shift, or nearly 2,900 results per 24 hours in a continuously running lab. Roche suggested that its two testing systems combined could provide "millions" of new tests a month.With the arrival of automated tests, a LabCorp release said it expected to be able to perform more than 10,000 tests per day by the end of this week and 20,000 tests per day by the end of the month. Quest Diagnostics announced an identical scale-up in capacity, leading the American Clinical Laboratory Association to estimate a commercial lab capacity of more than 280,000 tests per week by April 1.At a follow-up press briefing on Sunday, the federal Coronavirus Task Force announced that more drive-thru and walk-thru testing sites would be coming online this week for the hardest hit states, with each site capable of testing 2,000 to 4,000 people a day. In all, nearly 2 million tests would become available by the end of the week, task force officials asserted. "That is really a game-changer for us," said Admiral Brett Giroir, who is coordinating coronavirus testing efforts for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Many of us will believe the testing ability when it happens," responded Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, in comments to The New York Times.The skepticism follows a series of missteps and overblown promises that have sprung in part from how the U.S. decided to go about testing. South Korea, Canada, and many other countries based their own COVID-19 diagnostics on the WHO-developed test, which identifies the presence of two genes. One encodes a protein embedded in the viral envelope and the second yields a protein that helps the virus produce more RNA. The U.S. CDC instead opted to make its own diagnostic kit, based on a separate protein-encoding gene that helps the virus assemble and make more copies. The test, based on a technique known as polymerase chain reaction or PCR, amplifies the genetic material in nasal and throat swabs collected from patients to see if their mucus contains any signs of the viral gene.The CDC began sending out its test kits, which consisted of four vials of testing reagents (DNA in a chemical solution) in a small cardboard box, to about 100 testing locations during the first week of February. Theoretically, each kit could provide tests for about 500 patients. A week later, though, the CDC announced that some states were having problems with one of those reagents. The main problem seemed to be a faulty primer, or a piece of DNA engineered to stick to the viral gene like a bit of Velcro. Primers allow the gene to be copied enough times that it can be identified in the lab, and one of the primers in the CDC test kit, known as N3, repeatedly led to inconclusive test results. Until the problem could be resolved, the CDC first announced that it would revert to being the sole testing location for the entire country. After further delays, the agency finally scrapped the N3 primer altogether and allowed labs to use the remaining two, but the delay cost them valuable time.Sick Doctors Are Being Forced to Use Vacation Time if They Get CoronavirusOn March 6, President Trump falsely declared that "Anybody that wants a test can get a test." In fact, a comprehensive review by reporters at The Atlantic (who subsequently helped launch the COVID Tracking Project) suggested that only 1,895 people had been tested by that point, despite high demand. By Monday, after several guests at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., tested positive for COVID-19, a nearby drive-thru site still could test only 65 of the more than 6,000 people requesting it. Tomer Altman, a bioinformatics consultant in San Francisco, said he has found design issues with all three of the CDC kit's primers that could potentially reduce the test's accuracy. Altman has shared his results publicly and been in contact with other researchers who have brought up similar issues. "It further raises concerns that these tests weren't properly vetted" before their deployment as official testing kits, Altman told The Daily Beast. The CDC shared details of its test Jan. 24, but hasn't publicly disclosed its internal quality control measures. The agency did not respond to a request for comment by The Daily Beast.In Canada, Kindrachuk said a test based on the WHO's recipe has been distributed throughout the country, allowing provincial, territorial, and local labs to conduct their initial screens in pop-up locations. "They're increasing the accessibility for people, which is fantastic," he said. "Also, they're not requiring people to go to clinics or hospitals for testing, which reduces the burden on those facilities."Although those tests require confirmation by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, the presumptive positive results can allow for very quick decisions on isolation measures and contact tracing to identify other potential cases. "We need to have coordination to be able to maximize the amount of information we can get out in the shortest amount of time possible to be able to get patients identified, as well as their potential contacts identified," Kindrachuk added. Testing criteria also have evolved over time. But the initial CDC requirements were so strict that even the first confirmed case in the U.S., in a man who returned to Washington state from Wuhan, initially didn't meet them until state officials pushed back, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, the agency rebuffed offers of help and requests by public and private labs to develop their own tests.Relaxed CDC and FDA rules under an emergency use authorization have helped break the logjam. But the absence of centralized information on test parameters and availability has spurred news organizations like NBC News to compile lists of how each state health department is handling the patchwork testing process. Nathan Ledeboer, medical director of the Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, told The Daily Beast on Sunday that his lab was testing about 50 people per day for COVID-19. The lab is hoping to double or triple its current capacity of about 100 tests per day with existing equipment by the end of the week, and has ordered additional instruments to further expand.In the absence of sufficient testing capacity, the mad dash by labs to produce their own COVID-19 tests has left them to shoulder most of the burden of sourcing increasingly scarce supplies. "We did a reasonable job of planning ahead for this, and so we have supplies to maintain us for the next couple of weeks or so," Ledeboer said. But many supplies are now back-ordered, and the lab is trying to hunt down more nasal swabs, genetic primers, and other needs—like a solution that helps preserve the viral RNA prior to testing. "All of them seem to be in short supply," he said, though he added that federal agencies have been helping to search for alternatives.His lab and others have reported additional shortages in RNA extraction kits—essential for isolating the genetic material of the virus for the diagnostic test. As a workaround, the CDC relaxed its rules to allow nasal and throat swabs to be combined into a single test instead of two separate ones, effectively doubling testing capacity for many labs. The shortage of some supplies and tools has grown so acute that the American Society for Microbiology issued a statement last week saying it was "deeply concerned" that clinical labs may be unable to perform COVID-19 tests without them. With expectations of a dramatic scale-up in testing over the coming days and weeks, the professional society urged Congress and the FDA to help provide the funding and authority needed to maintain the supply chain.Although Ledeboer agreed that the new high-volume COVID-19 tests should significantly improve testing capacity, he said getting them into the hands of labs that were already setting up shop or had been testing, like his, could be crucial to building capacity. His lab uses the Roche system. "If I can use that test, that can allow me to effectively double capacity, if not more, overnight," he says. "That could be really, really helpful." Beyond LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, the Roche test was being sent to specific labs on a priority basis based on the greatest geographic need, Ledeboer said. His lab wasn't in the first group to receive them, and he didn't know when he might have access to them. In January, the University of Washington's Jerome and colleagues began working on their own diagnostic test just in case it was needed. It was, despite needing to clear an almost absurd number of hurdles to gain FDA approval, as detailed by GQ. By last Friday, the lab had assembled a team of more than 70 staff and volunteers from other departments to help crank out its test results, and the number continues to grow. They have set up a drive-thru testing clinic in a parking garage and worked in three shifts to conduct more tests than any other single lab in the U.S.—more than 12,000 in all since they began March 2. About 6.5 percent of recent tests came back positive.But the virology lab was showing signs of strain as well. Until it can expand its daily capacity with new instruments later this week, the lab announced that it couldn't take on any new clients. To help meet the crush of demand, the medical school dean issued an extraordinary call last Thursday for qualified graduate students to help staff the lab for a week or more, particularly to help receive and prepare nasal swabs. On Friday, the virology lab sent out a plea to other academic or biotech labs for donations of a specific kind of filter-equipped pipette tip that allows the lab to transfer viral RNA to machines that purify and amplify the genetic material for testing. "It's not just about the tests. You can have 1,000 tests, you can have 2,000 tests, you can have a million tests," Kuppalli said. "You need to have the people who can do the tests, you need to have the supplies to do the tests."Labs across the country have likewise raced to produce their own tests with an eye toward faster results. A lab funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is working on home testing kits. A hospital lab in Evanston, Ill., is working to produce results in four to six hours. And a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinoff is seeking approval for a paper-based test that might deliver results in less than 30 minutes.On Saturday, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center officials announced that they had developed their own in-house test, as well, and would begin testing about 20 people a day at a secure facility by Tuesday. Eventually, they hoped to test hundreds per week. In an accompanying statement, the university's medical center officials criticized the federal response as "delayed and limited." At the Saturday briefing, Alan Wells, the clinical lab's medical director, said his team had considered developing its test before March 3 and had been in communication with the CDC and FDA, but had been told "that the federal and state authorities would be able to handle everything."Just hours after the briefing, Pittsburgh's Allegheny County reported its first two cases of COVID-19. By Wednesday morning, the tally of positive and presumptive positive cases had jumped to 12.With reporting by David Axe.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| 'Wonderchicken' fossil reveals ancestor of today's birds Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:06 AM PDT  A tiny fossil skull nicknamed "Wonderchicken" is giving scientists a rare glimpse at early ancestors of today's birds. With a face like those of today's chicken-like birds and a back portion like that of living duck-like birds, Wonderchicken is " down near the bottom of the modern-bird family tree," said Daniel Field of Cambridge University. It appeared as a block of broken rocks with some broken leg bones sticking out.
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| Iran defends response as virus deaths surpass 1,000 Posted: 18 Mar 2020 08:45 AM PDT  Iran said its novel coronavirus death toll surpassed 1,000 on Wednesday as President Hassan Rouhani defended the response of his administration, which has yet to impose a lockdown. The COVID-19 outbreak in sanctions-hit Iran is one of the deadliest for any country outside China, where the disease originated. Rouhani's government reported another 147 deaths -- a record high for a single day in the month since it announced the emergence of the disease.
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| Endangered gray wolf population on the rise in southwest US Posted: 18 Mar 2020 08:21 AM PDT  The rest of the team on the ground was anxious to hear those words after the low-flying helicopter crew had been working all morning to get close to one of the Mexican gray wolves that had been targeted as part of an annual survey of the endangered predators. For months, crews combed the rugged mountains of the southwestern United States, tracking collared wolves and looking for evidence of new packs to build the most accurate picture possible of just how many wolves are roaming the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. The results of the painstaking effort were finally released Wednesday, revealing there are more wolves in the wild than at any time since federal wildlife managers initiated efforts to conserve the animals decades ago.
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| Trump taps emergency powers as virus relief plan proceeds Posted: 18 Mar 2020 08:01 AM PDT  Describing himself as a "wartime president" fighting an invisible enemy, President Donald Trump on Wednesday invoked rarely used emergency powers to marshal critical medical supplies against the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also signed an aid package — which the Senate approved earlier Wednesday — that will guarantee sick leave to workers who fall ill. Trump tapped his authority under the 70-year-old Defense Production Act to give the government more power to steer production by private companies and try to overcome shortages in masks, ventilators and other supplies.
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| Coronavirus: Tourists quarantined on cruise ship Aidamira off South Africa Posted: 18 Mar 2020 07:01 AM PDT  Six of the 1,7000 people on board the Aidamira, off Cape Town, are being tested for coronavirus.
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| Earthquake shakes Utah, rattling frayed coronavirus nerves Posted: 18 Mar 2020 06:43 AM PDT  A moderate earthquake Wednesday near Salt Lake City temporarily shut down a major air traffic hub, damaged a spire atop a temple and frightened millions of people already on edge from the coronavirus pandemic. The 5.7-magnitude quake just after 7 a.m. damaged the spire and statue atop the iconic Salt Lake Temple. Elsewhere, bricks were showered onto sidewalks and a chemical plume was released outside the city.
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| Lockdowns and $3 Trillion in Aid Power Global Virus Response Posted: 18 Mar 2020 06:31 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- As the coronavirus extends its reach around the globe, schools and universities are closing; lockdowns have become commonplace; non-essential businesses like cinemas, gyms, clubs, bars and restaurants are shut; and companies are asking employees to work from home wherever possible.To help meet the costs of all this, governments around the world have pledged or are considering as much as $3 trillion in fiscal support. That aid ranges from guarantees on bank loans to tax deferments and even to cash handouts.The European Central Bank has boosted liquidity for banks in the euro area and loosened capital demands, and is buying an additional 120 billion euros ($132 billion) of the region's bonds. The U.S. is weighing a $1.2 trillion stimulus. The European Union, all 27 of whose member states have announced protective measures, closed its borders.Below is a country-by-country list of broad actions taken or planned by governments of G-20 nations to counter what has turned into the deadliest pandemic in more than a century.Argentina* Central bank may compel private banks to lend to companies.* Domestic travel suspended for coming holiday weekend. Schools, borders closed through end of March. Government considering ordering everyone to stay at home for 10 days.* More than 4 million retirees to get a one-time payment in April.Australia* Cut benchmark interest rate to 0.5%. Government expected to release a second stimulus package after an initial A$17.6 billion ($10.6 billion) to support the economy.* All citizens warned to avoid overseas travel indefinitely.* Non-essential gatherings of more than 100 people banned.Brazil* Government plans to spend about $30 billion, half of which will be used to help the poor and elderly.* Lenders given more flexibility to use capital and measures announced to facilitate debt negotiations.Canada* Government set aside C$1 billion ($702 million) in funding and C$10 billion in new credit. It may buy as much as C$50 billion in home mortgages. Additional fiscal stimulus was to be announced Wednesday.* Borders to most foreigners and citizens advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel.* Central bank cut rates by full percentage point; loosened capital requirements to boost lending.China* Central bank pumped 550 billion yuan ($78 billion) of liquidity into the banking system by cutting reserve requirements. Taxes cut for virus-hit companies, and there are plans to spend more on infrastructure. Debt cap increased to help smaller companies raise funds overseas.* Beijing quarantines all travelers from overseas for two weeks; Shanghai quarantines arrivals from 16 countries.* Most public venues, including schools, remain closed.France* Ban on unnecessary movement, fines for non-compliance. Non-essential services, schools, bars, restaurants, clubs, gyms closed. Grocery stores, pharmacies open.* Testing and tracking only if doctors consider crucial.* Emergency budget to include 45 billion euros of spending and 300 billion euros f loan guarantees.Germany* Most public and private venues such as bars, cinemas and museums closed. Non-essential services shut; supermarkets open, including on Sundays.* All people with unexplained respiratory symptoms to be tested.* Government to make as much as 550 billion euros available in lending for businesses from German state bank KfW.India* Central bank boosts cash injection through 13.5 billion rupees ($181 million) of long-term repo operations and $2 billion for the foreign-exchange market.* Most inbound travel visas suspended; arrivals prohibited from some countries.* Residents asked to avoid non-essential travel; schools, gyms, museums and theaters closed.Indonesia* Central bank expected to cut its policy rate; bank bought billions of dollars of government bonds and intervened in currency markets to stabilize the rupiah.* Government stimulus package increased to 33.22 trillion rupiah ($2.19 billion).* Mosques urged worshippers to stay at home.Italy* Non-essential services, schools closed; unnecessary movement banned in a lockdown.* Testing and tracking only for patients showing symptoms.* 25 billion-euro package, including loan guarantees, takeover of Alitalia and funds for businesses and individuals. Short-selling banned for 90 days.Japan* Central bank raised the upper limit of its annual ETF purchase target to 12 trillion yen ($112 billion).* Government urged residents to halt travel to most of Europe; inbound travelers from Europe need to self-quarantine.* Some government officials signaled a possible delay of the Tokyo Olympics.Mexico* Set aside about $150 million in aid.* Schools set to close next week.Russia* Ban on entry to most foreigners; schools closed.* Free tests for people who've visited high-risk countries.* $4 billion fund to assist businesses and individuals; tax payments deferred. Central bank sold 22 billion rubles in foreign currencies.Saudi Arabia* Land crossings closed and international flights halted; pilgrimages to Mecca banned. Non-essential services closed.* Testing for those with symptoms. Self-quarantine for those who have come in contact with infected people.* Package worth 50 billion riyals ($13.3 billion) in loans and loan guarantees to businesses.South Africa* National disaster declared; gatherings of more than 100 people banned; schools, 35 of 53 land crossings closed; access closed to travelers from high-risk countries.* Testing available for those with symptoms.* Government working on measures to minimize economic impact; central bank may cut interest rate by 50 basis points on Thursday.South Korea* Central bank cut benchmark interest rate to record low. Government to accelerate special 11.7 trillion won ($9.4 billion) budget; cap on banks' foreign-exchange forward positions eased by 25%.* Testing widespread, covering more than 10,000 people a day; test results accelerated.* Travel advisory alert raised for some European countries; school reopening delayed.Turkey* School, mosques, non-essential services shut; flights to and from 20 countries suspended; about 10,000 citizens returning from pilgrimage to Mecca quarantined.* Central bank cut one-week repo rate by a percentage point, added liquidity into markets by cutting amount of foreign exchange lenders must park and postponing foreign-exchange debt repayments by exporters.U.K.* Public advised to avoid all non-essential travel overseas, as well as use of public transport, gatherings with friends and family; limiting interaction with others by people over 70.* Testing to be increased and those with symptoms asked to self-isolate at home for seven days; if living with others, not leave the house for 14 days.* Government promised help with mortgage payments, and support for airlines, shops and the hospitality industry, with 350 billion pounds ($424 billion) of government-backed loans, grants and tax cuts.U.S.* Government advises people not to congregate in groups of more than 10 and suggests states close schools; about 75% of schools closed nationwide.* Congress debates $1.2 trillion in spending, including direct payments of $1,000 or more to Americans within two weeks.* Twenty states ordered restaurants, bars or both closed to sit-down customers. New York City may order citizens to shelter-in-place after closing all bars, restaurants and theaters. Residents of the San Francisco Bay Area ordered to stay at home.* Ohio canceled March 17 presidential primary election and closed schools.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel to address nation on coronavirus, Germany mulls new economic steps Posted: 18 Mar 2020 06:26 AM PDT |
| Iran's Nowruz New Year, typically joyous, haunted by virus Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:24 AM PDT  At this time of year, the meandering arcades and alleys of Tehran's Grand Bazaar and other markets would usually be filled with shoppers rushing to stock up before the Persian New Year, Nowruz — a major holiday in Iran, when the entire country goes on vacation. The new coronavirus has ravaged Iran, straining its hospitals amid over 17,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,100 deaths. "It is not like previous years, at all," said Mohammad Khademi, a garment trader in downtown Tehran's Baharestan Square.
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| Don’t expect the coronavirus epidemic in the US to bring down President Trump Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:06 AM PDT  The Trump administration's mishandling of the coronavirus crisis has been widely condemned by health experts. But if the administration's bungling proves costly to Trump in the November election, it will be an exception to the historical rule that epidemics haven't led to political unrest or governments being voted out of office. Some kinds of health crises do have political consequences: Hunger has toppled governments. From the French revolution to the Arab Spring, food shortages have routinely caused riots and occasionally sparked revolutions. In the case of starvation, political cause and personal result are intuitively clear to those suffering: My family has gone hungry because the government has failed to ensure there's enough food. By contrast, epidemics cause social confusion and often cause far-reaching societal changes. The medieval plagues transformed Europe's agrarian economies from intensive-cultivation farming systems to economies more reliant on livestock, because the high death rate suddenly made labor more valuable while much cultivated land was turned over to pasture for sheep and cattle. Smallpox, carried to Mexico by infected Europeans, played a decisive role in enabling the Spanish to conquer that country in the 16th century.Modern history records no instances of an epidemic toppling a government. Disease is usually seen as personal rather than political, and each new pathogen has an unfamiliar and uncertain epidemiology. That's not a recipe for revolution. Famine kills people and governmentsStarvation helped drive the popular unrest that led to the collapse of Imperial Germany in 1918. The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic killed more people than famine and war combined over that murderous decade, but it features only as a footnote to the political history of that tumultuous era. In the U.S., the influenza caused panic, but in his wide-ranging book on the pandemic, John Barry concluded that "the fear, not the disease, threatened to break the society apart."I have researched famine and epidemics in Africa over 30 years, including setting up the United Nations Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa.The HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa in the early 2000s cut life expectancy by a third at the turn of the millennium. South African President Thabo Mbeki's denial that HIV caused AIDS sparked outrage in the country and internationally, and led to mass demonstrations by the Treatment Action Campaign, among others. But neither the epidemic nor the mishandling of it ever imperiled Mbeki's party's grip on power. By contrast, famines brought down governments in Ethiopia and Sudan in the 1970s and 1980s.The Chinese government's slow and secretive response to the first outbreak of SARS in 2003 was widely criticized. But the leadership didn't pay a political price for those public health policy failures – and it has now repeated the mistakes with the 2020 coronavirus. Learning as they goOne reason why the coronavirus might stick to the usual pandemic script is that the course of this pandemic, as with others, is fundamentally unknown. There are no reassuring certainties.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention insists it is spreading facts, not rumors. It provides sound advice for how people can minimize the risk of infection through practices such as hand-washing and social distancing. However, the science does not dictate a single evidence-based course of action for the government. Forecasts for the path of the epidemic depend upon assumptions that are unproven and data points that are, as yet, unknown. Until there are good measurements of the numbers infected, the rate at which each infected person infects others and the timing of the disease cycle, the range of outcomes for different policy choices cannot be known accurately.Epidemiologists are learning as they go; their forecasts will change. In the meantime, public health experts find it difficult to communicate uncertainty to the public, which is why the CDC playbook insists that political leaders should be early, clear and consistent in their messaging – keeping the epidemiologists out of the media spotlight. Because there is no single and authoritative scientific story that can be told. 'People's science'Meanwhile, locally innovative methods for infection control may sometimes prove effective. For example, in the early days of the 2013-14 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, internationally recommended best practices for treatment did not include keeping patients hydrated through drinking lots of water. Local "people's science" insisted on this, which was shown to work and later adopted by international agencies. Villagers also improvised effective means of safely preparing bodies for burial, combining adapted customary practices with safe hygiene.Folk theories around the coronavirus, some of them useful local experiences and others harmful conspiracies, are already spreading as fast as the virus itself. Some are self-evidently dangerous, such as the belief that Africans can't get infected, or that it is no more deadly than flu.President Trump's practice of putting personal opinions on a par with scientific expertise creates an environment in which rumors and conspiracy theories can flourish – and some will resonate with many Americans, particularly those already distrustful of expert government institutions. Feeding conservatismThe pandemic may lead some to favor, or continue to favor, conservative politics – further advantaging Trump – because the circumstances of the coronavirus's spread easily feed an isolationist ethic. Stories such as how the Colorado town of Gunnison escaped influenza in 1918-19 by cutting itself off from the rest of the world will resonate.Isolationism fits neatly with the origins of the coronavirus, which emerged on the other side of the globe and spread rapidly because of international air traffic. It's a pandemic of globalization. And the battle against the virus can take the form of social control measures that would be completely unacceptable in normal times. Now such actions are socially accepted or state-imposed. The best-tested measures for public health are quarantine, exclusion zones and restrictions on travel. Alongside its high-tech surveillance capacities, China has relied heavily on old-fashioned neighborhood policing to enforce its lockdown. In Europe, authoritarian control measures are now widespread. Crisis, confusion and fear are an opportunity for politicians to enact measures that would normally be regarded as beyond the pale. Italian police are enforcing the 24-hour curfew. Israel is using surveillance technology designed to track terrorists to monitor individuals suspected of being carriers of the virus. These measures echo authoritarian, isolationist and xenophobic themes held by conservatives – broadening their focus to China and Europe and East Asia alongside the targets of recent exclusionary policies such as Mexico and Africa.The White House response has been a textbook case of doing the opposite of everything recommended in the CDC epidemic guidance book. But that may not have a political cost; Trump's approval rating "is statistically unchanged from a month ago," according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.If Trump suffers at the ballot box in November on account of the pandemic, that will make history.[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversation's email newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Coronavirus unites a divided China in fear, grief and anger at government * What Islamic hygienic practices can teach when coronavirus is spreadingAlex de Waal received funding from the United Nations in 2002-2003 for research under the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa
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| Putin is being protected from coronavirus around the clock, says Kremlin Posted: 18 Mar 2020 04:49 AM PDT |
| Leroy Brewer: South Africa hunt rhino poaching investigator's killers Posted: 18 Mar 2020 04:22 AM PDT  South Africa's police chief pays tribute to Lt Col Leroy Brewer after he is shot dead in an ambush.
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| Iran's Rouhani defends virus response despite no lockdown Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:59 AM PDT  Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday defended the response to the new coronavirus outbreak by his administration, which has yet to impose a lockdown to stop the disease spreading. The COVID-19 outbreak in sanctions-hit Iran is one of the deadliest outside China, where the disease originated. Rouhani's government says the virus has killed 1,135 people and infected 17,161 others in the month since it first emerged in the Islamic republic.
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| German retailers plead for state aid as stores close Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:45 AM PDT  Germany's HDE retail association called on Wednesday for the government to give immediate state aid and tax relief to stop businesses going bust as stores closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, losing 7 billion euros ($7.70 billion) per week. "Massive loss of turnover is destroying thousands of independent companies and millions of jobs," HDE President Josef Sanktjohanser said in a statement that announced he had written to Chancellor Angela Merkel to ask for help. HDE said the ordering of store closures would lead to a loss of sales of around 1.15 billion euros per day or 7 billion euros per week.
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| 103-year-old Iran woman survives coronavirus: report Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:22 AM PDT  A 103-year-old woman in Iran has recovered after being infected with the new coronavirus, state media reported, despite overwhelming evidence the elderly are most at risk from the disease. The woman was the second elderly patient in Iran to have survived the disease. The other was a 91-year-old man from Kerman, in the southeast of Iran, the news agency said.
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| Even Trump’s Mega-Stimulus May Not Be Enough Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:05 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Not long ago, Donald Trump was talking about $2 billion in U.S. funds to blunt the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.But when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin presented the president with a $850 billion plan Monday night, Trump suggested he bump it up to a trillion: If you want to go big, go big, he remarked, according to an exclusive report from our Washington bureau.That's how Mnuchin came to assemble the $1.2 trillion stimulus package — including direct payments to Americans — that the White House is now advocating. Mnuchin started selling the plan yesterday to Senate Republicans, warning that without it the U.S. could face a 20% unemployment rate.It represents a rapid U-turn for a president who only recently minimized the coronavirus, saying the seasonal flu kills many more Americans and "life & the economy go on." The rapid spread of the virus has forced a rethink for a leader who has staked his re-election bid on a strong economy and markets. Discussion about a U.S. recession now focuses on when, not if.If it lasts, the fallout could hand a big advantage to Trump's opponent come November. Joe Biden is the all-but-certain Democratic nominee after decisive victories last night in primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona.As Trump and his team shift their virus-response efforts into high gear, the question is whether that change is too late. Global HeadlinesThe virus cost | The U.S. and Canadian governments are set to announce they'll halt non-essential travel, while U.K. premier Boris Johnson described his administration as a "wartime government" in detailing a massive economic aid package. Europe shut its borders to non-EU citizens, while Australia told citizens not to travel abroad.A Chinese vaccine has been approved for human testing as cases hit more than 193,093 worldwide. Angela Merkel signaled she may be open to joint EU debt issuance to mitigate the virus impact, an apparent softening of German opposition that could transform the finances of the 27-nation bloc. Indonesia banned exports of masks, sanitizers and some medical equipment to shore up domestic supplies.Snarled courts | The virus is impacting legal processes around the world. U.K. courts won't start criminal trials that are scheduled to last longer than three days. The U.S. Supreme Court indefinitely postponed its March argument session. Israel's Justice Ministry delayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's graft trial by two months. And asylum seekers in French custody set to be sent to Italy are stuck in detention as virus lockdowns override EU rules requiring them to be sent back.Tit-for-tat | China took the unprecedented step of expelling more than a dozen U.S. journalists, escalating a battle with the Trump administration. Beijing said U.S. reporters at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post must hand in their media cards within 10 days, calling it a response to U.S. caps on Chinese media imposed early this month.Iain Marlow explains how China has also dealt a blow to Hong Kong's autonomy that could curb media freedom in the city.Power-played | Vladimir Putin caught even many Kremlin insiders off guard with last week's surprise gambit that allows him to stay on as president until 2036. Some feel deceived given Putin just in January unveiled constitutional changes that seemed to respect term limits, Evgenia Pismennaya, Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov report. The amendments were a "grand deception" intended to minimize potential opposition, says one person close to Putin.Secret lobbying | A Los Angeles businessman who raised funds for U.S. presidents and members of congress was also a secret lobbyist for foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, prosecutors said in a court filing yesterday. The prosecution of Imaad Shah Zuberi comes as the Justice Department intensifies its focus on foreign influence peddling amid growing concern that U.S. foreign policy has been swayed at times by hidden forces.What to WatchBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro asked Congress to declare a state of public calamity over the coronavirus that would let his government miss this year's fiscal target. Merkel is scheduled to give a nationally televised address this evening about the coronavirus effort.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally ... An unintended casualty of virus-related limits on travel could be global food production. The restrictions may spark shortages of migrant labor for everything from fruit and vegetable harvests in the U.S. and Australia to meat processing in Canada. "It will be devastating to growers and ultimately to the supply chain and consumers," says the United Fresh Produce Association's Robert Guenther. "They won't have the food." For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel plans rare TV address, but will announce no new restrictions - broadcaster Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:03 AM PDT |
| Germany Vows to Maintain Record Spending in Face of Virus Hit Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:57 AM PDT |
| Iran needs sanction relief to get through this pandemic Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:55 AM PDT  The country with the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, of course, is China. Next is Italy. And third in this grim ranking, with more than 16,000 cases and nearly 1,000 deaths as of this writing, is Iran.But Iran also has something no other nation with a significant cluster of infections must handle: It remains under a harsh sanctions regime re-imposed by the Trump administration after the president withdrew from the Iran deal.These sanctions are damaging enough to Iran's medical institutions and basic goods markets under normal circumstances. In a time of pandemic, they are a moral obscenity. Iran needs sanctions relief now to respond to the novel coronavirus. Even a temporary relief — say, for an initial six months with an option for extension — would be a good start, and it is a necessary mercy anyone, including the most vehement Iran hawk, should be able to support.Sanctions have always had a human cost. The narrative that they're a moderate tool of statecraft — gentler than airstrikes or invasion, more active than diplomacy — is false.Sanctions are not gentle. They are not bloodless. They are almost never as targeted as their advocates would have you believe. Restrictions on financial institutions, for example, may seem like a smart option for limiting weapons development or coercing favorable behavior from a rogue state's elite. In practice, however, the wealthy and powerful rarely suffer from sanctions. They have the resources and contacts abroad to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.Ordinary people do not, and sanctions affect their lives in dangerous ways. In Iran, the U.S. sanctions program has limited imports of medicines and medical equipment. Innocent Iranians, most famously a 15-year-old boy with the entirely treatable condition of hemophilia, have died because our government prevented Iranian doctors from getting the supplies they needed.Inadequate medical care is not the only effect of U.S. sanctions for the Iranian people. Trump's revival of sanctions briefly lifted by the Iran deal has plunged the Iranian economy into recession. Oil exports, an important contributor to GDP, are way down, and inflation is way up. The rial has lost half its value as compared to the dollar since the summer of 2017, which means the costs of goods and services (especially food, utilities, and gasoline) are spiking and families' savings are being obliterated. Food shortages and price hikes have Iranians purchasing rotting produce. When the country experienced severe flooding last year, humanitarian responders couldn't help many of those affected.In February 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boasted of these effects. "Things are much worse for the Iranian people [thanks to U.S. sanctions]," he said, "and we are convinced that will lead the Iranian people to rise up and change the behavior of the regime." This is wishful thinking, either naïve or cruel — stupid or evil.Sanctions don't have a good record of producing desired results. Research published in International Security found just four successes among 85 examples considered. Sanctions aren't "likely to achieve major foreign policy goals," the study advised, but they do "inflict significant human costs on the populations of target states, including on innocent civilians" — like Iranians — "who have little influence on their government's behavior."In Iran specifically, U.S. sanctions have predictably strengthened nationalist sentiment, emboldening hardliners in government, and undermining moderate and internationalist voices. The strategy Pompeo champions is fostering more regional troublemaking from Tehran, not less. And if the Iranian people wanted to overthrow their oppressive regime, how are they supposed to accomplish that while suffering under U.S. sanctions?Few have the time or energy for revolution when life is becoming more miserable by the day. How do you remake an undemocratic regime when you're struggling to feed your child? To keep a roof over her head? To get your father his heart medicine?How do you do have a revolution when you're sick with COVID-19? "The likelihood of massive protests [now] seems slim given government directives to stay home and rational fears that mass gatherings will only spread the virus," writes Barbara Slavin, director of the Atlantic Council's Future of Iran Initiative. Sanctions will not force Iran to "behave like a normal nation" in the best of times, and they absolutely will not get Washington the changes it wants during a pandemic.Sanctions relief for Iran, at least for a few months, is vital for Iran's health — and ours: Iran's infections will contribute to COVID-19's spread elsewhere, and Tehran may even be under-reporting its infection and/or death rate. Hawks can rest assured their fears will not be realized in this small mercy; experts say Iran is several years away from being able to make a nuclear weapon if it had that intent. Moreover, Iran isn't going to build a nuke during the pandemic, and even if it somehow did, the strength of the U.S. military — both conventional and nuclear — is more than adequate to indefinitely deter its use.In short, there is simply no case that an Iranian nuclear weapon should be our primary concern in U.S.-Iran relations in this moment. The problem at hand is the novel coronavirus, and U.S. sanctions are aiding its killing spree in Iran. We can return to debating the best Iran policy after the pandemic is over. Right now, immediate sanctions relief is the only choice.More stories from theweek.com Bernie Sanders is focused on the 'f---ing global crisis' CDC investigation reveals why coronavirus likely hit Seattle-area nursing homes so hard The U.S. is temporarily blocking all refugee admissions
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| China expels American journalists from 3 US newspapers: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:30 AM PDT  The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was revoking the press credentials for American journalists from three newspapers, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, requiring them to return their media passes within 10 days and essentially expelling them from the country.Beijing also declared five US media outlets " Voice of America, The Times, The Journal, The Post and Time magazine " to be foreign government functionaries, identifying them as agencies controlled by Washington.The American journalists must return their press cards to Foreign Ministry within 10 days, and they will then be barred from working as journalists in China, including Hong Kong and Macau.Wall Street Journal reporters Philip Wen (left) and Josh Chin walk through Beijing Capital Airport after being expelled from China on February 24. Photo: AFP alt=Wall Street Journal reporters Philip Wen (left) and Josh Chin walk through Beijing Capital Airport after being expelled from China on February 24. Photo: AFP"These measures are entirely necessary and reciprocal countermeasures that China is compelled to take in response to the unreasonable oppression the Chinese media organisations experience in the US. They are legitimate and justified self-defence in every sense," the Foreign Ministry statement said."What the US has done is exclusively targeting Chinese media organisations. ... The US approach to the Chinese media is based on a Cold War mentality and ideological bias, which has seriously tarnished the reputation and image of Chinese media organisations. ... The US has been massively 'deporting' Chinese journalists in a disguised way," it added.Martin Baron, executive editor of The Post, responded on Tuesday: "We unequivocally condemn any action by China to expel US reporters. The Chinese government's decision is particularly regrettable because it comes in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis, when clear and reliable information about the international response to Covid-19 is essential. Severely limiting the flow of that information, which China now seeks to do, only aggravates the situation."Jude Blanchette, who holds the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the move "shows that the US and China are firmly locked in a tit-for-tat battle on the landscape of the media and the press. The US-China relationship was already deteriorating significantly. China's move wouldn't alter the course but will just accelerate it."He said China's actions were not an apples-to-apples retaliation because those taken by the US State Department were about increasing the oversight over Chinese state media operating in the United States, while the journalists who are being expelled by China, except for Voice of America, are independent journalists."Everyone knows state media workers from China, many of them have a dual role, these aren't comparable, but by the Chinese government's own logic, it is by framing this retaliation and reciprocity in it, it's a smart move on their part because it makes these look like this is a one for one response while they are qualitatively and quantitatively different," Blanchette said.The New York Times headquarters in Manhattan. The newspaper has several bureaus in mainland China as well as Hong Kong. Photo: AP alt=The New York Times headquarters in Manhattan. The newspaper has several bureaus in mainland China as well as Hong Kong. Photo: APUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that he regretted China's decision and that he hoped Beijing would reconsider. He said the move would deprive the world and the Chinese people of information in "incredibly challenging" times caused by the coronavirus.All three US media outlets have reported politically sensitive stories in China, a long-term taboo with the Chinese Communist Party. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal have written about Xinjiang, where China has interned up to 1 million Muslims in detention camps. Beijing says the camps are designed to combat extremism.Last year, The Times revealed more than 400 pages of internal Chinese documents about how to crack down on ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region without "showing mercy".Chun Han Wong, one of the expelled Wall Street Journal journalists, was co-author last year of a report that a cousin of Chinese President Xi Jinping was under investigation in Australia for ties to organised crime, money laundering and alleged Chinese influence-peddling.China's retaliation came amid the growing tension between Beijing and Washington over issues ranging from trade, visas, intellectual property theft to even the coronavirus pandemic.The move not only deepens the rift between Beijing and Washington " which has been growing since before US President Donald Trump started a trade war with China nearly two years ago " but also drags the issue of Hong Kong's autonomy into the stand-off."China's decision to kick American journalists out of the PRC is evidence of the ongoing decoupling not only of supply chains and financial systems, but of information and knowledge systems " of media and academia," said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Centre's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States."Forbidding foreign journalists to report freely from Hong Kong clearly violates the spirit of Beijing's promise that the [special administrative region] could retain its social system for 50 years after the handover," he added.Meanwhile, a spat between senior US and Chinese officials over how the coronavirus is referred to and who is most responsible for the pandemic spilled over into Trump's press conference on Tuesday." Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2020The coronavirus "did come from China, so I think it's very accurate," Trump said at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, defending recent tweets in which he referred to a "Chinese virus".The terminology has drawn Trump, Pompeo, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Beijing's ambassador to Washington, Cui Tiankai, into mutual recriminations since last week, exacerbating the tit-for-tat measures against each other's media corps.Earlier this month, the US State Department imposed employment restrictions on five Chinese state media outlets " all are deemed as propaganda arms of the Chinese Communist Party " requiring them to reduce the number of their US-based Chinese employees to around 100 from 160 now.Pompeo said the move was a retaliation for Beijing's "increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation" of American journalists.Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the US action against five Chinese news outlets would harm ties between the two countries and said China reserved the right to take further action.In February, the US government declared several mainland Chinese media outlets " state news agency Xinhua, China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Radio International, China Daily and Hai Tian Development USA " to be agencies controlled by Beijing.The directive requires staff from these organisations to register with the US State Department the same way that embassy and consular employees do.Hours after that US declaration, Beijing expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters, saying the move was prompted by the newspaper's "sick man of Asia" headline on an opinion article.Additional reporting by Robert DelaneyPurchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A.; Offer valid until 31 March 2020.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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