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Category: Health

High levels of mask wearing could reduce forecasted deaths by over 30,000 in the U.S. over the next three months

High levels of mask wearing could reduce forecasted deaths by over 30,000 in the U.S. over the next three months

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington: In its first projections comparing different actions to control COVID-19 transmission, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington is forecasting nearly 180,000 in the United States will die by October 1. The forecast shows 179,106 deaths (with a range of 159,497 to 213,715). Those numbers drop to 146,047 (with a range of 140,849 to 153,438), if at least 95 percent of people…

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U.S. buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir

U.S. buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir

The Guardian reports: The US has bought up virtually all the stocks for the next three months of one of the two drugs proven to work against Covid-19, leaving none for the UK, Europe or most of the rest of the world. Experts and campaigners are alarmed both by the US unilateral action on remdesivir and the wider implications, for instance in the event of a vaccine becoming available. The Trump administration has already shown that it is prepared to…

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Fauci warns Congress that new coronavirus cases could rise to 100,000 a day

Fauci warns Congress that new coronavirus cases could rise to 100,000 a day

CNN reports: Coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci issued a stark warning on Tuesday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, telling them he wouldn’t be surprised if the US sees new cases of coronavirus rising to a level of 100,000 a day. “We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around and so I am very concerned,” Fauci told the…

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National mask mandate could save 5 percent of GDP, economists say

National mask mandate could save 5 percent of GDP, economists say

The Washington Post reports: After a late-spring lull, daily coronavirus cases in the United States have again hit record highs, driven by resurgent outbreaks in states such as Florida, Arizona and California. Hospitals in Houston are on the brink of being overwhelmed, and public health experts worry the pandemic’s death count will soon be climbing in tandem with the daily case load. The dire situation has raised the specter of another round of state-level stay-at-home orders to halt the pandemic’s…

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California’s case count explodes; Los Angeles County surpassed 100,000 total cases on Monday

California’s case count explodes; Los Angeles County surpassed 100,000 total cases on Monday

The New York Times reports: Only a few weeks ago, thousands of Southern Californians were flocking to beaches, Disneyland was announcing it would soon reopen and Whoopi Goldberg was lauding Gov. Gavin Newsom on “The View” for the state’s progress in combating the coronavirus. The worst, many in California thought, was behind them. In fact, an alarming surge in cases up and down the state was only just beginning. Over the past week California’s case count has exploded, surpassing 200,000…

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Covid-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get sick

Covid-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get sick

On June 26, Texas’ governor ordered bars to close as COVID-19 case numbers spiked, particularly among younger adults. This Houston bar, photographed in late May, voluntarily shut down shortly before the order after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images By Murray J. Côté, Texas A&M University and Tiffany A. Radcliff, Texas A&M University The July 4 holiday weekend usually means cookouts and big gatherings in Texas, but right now, the state is facing a public…

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Most people with coronavirus won’t spread it. Why do a few infect many?

Most people with coronavirus won’t spread it. Why do a few infect many?

Carl Zimmer reports: At a May 30 birthday party in Texas, one man reportedly infected 18 friends and family with the coronavirus. Reading reports like these, you might think of the virus as a wildfire, instantly setting off epidemics wherever it goes. But other reports tell another story altogether. In Italy, for example, scientists looked at stored samples of wastewater for the earliest trace of the virus. Last week they reported that the virus was in Turin and Milan as…

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Why Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been a ‘catastrophic failure’

Why Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been a ‘catastrophic failure’

James Fallows writes: Coping with a pandemic is one of the most complex challenges a society can face. To minimize death and damage, leaders and citizens must orchestrate a huge array of different resources and tools. Scientists must explore the most advanced frontiers of research while citizens attend to the least glamorous tasks of personal hygiene. Physical supplies matter—test kits, protective gear—but so do intangibles, such as “flattening the curve” and public trust in official statements. The response must be…

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A Sun Belt time bomb threatens Trump’s reelection

A Sun Belt time bomb threatens Trump’s reelection

Politico reports: The explosion of Covid-19 cases in Sun Belt states is becoming another albatross for President Donald Trump’s reelection hopes — and creating a new opening for Joe Biden and Democrats in November. Republican governors in Florida, Arizona and Texas followed Trump’s lead by quickly reopening their states while taking a lax approach to social distancing and mask-wearing. Now, each of them is seeing skyrocketing coronavirus caseloads and rising hospitalizations, and Republican leaders are in retreat. It’s hard to…

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‘Boogaloo’ believers think a civil war is coming. Gun firms are openly marketing to them

‘Boogaloo’ believers think a civil war is coming. Gun firms are openly marketing to them

The Informant reports: In mid March, Fenix Ammunition, an ammunition manufacturer in Michigan, saw its daily online sales rise from $4,000 to $40,000. The pandemic had boosted demand for guns and ammunition around the country, and Fenix was reaping the fruits of the national following it has cultivated since its 2016 launch. In addition to record high civilian demand, Fenix also counted at least three local police departments, a law enforcement training center, and KelTec, one of the leading rifle…

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The link between restaurant spending and new cases of coronavirus

The link between restaurant spending and new cases of coronavirus

CNBC reports: Higher restaurant spending appears to be linked to a faster spread of the coronavirus, according to a JPMorgan study. Analyst Jesse Edgerton analyzed data from 30 million Chase credit and debit cardholders and from Johns Hopkins University’s case tracker. He found that increased restaurant spending in a state predicted a rise in new infections there three weeks later. He also said restaurant spending was the strongest predictor across all categories of card spending. The United States set a…

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As Trump plays down the danger of the coronavirus pandemic he steps up measures to protect himself

As Trump plays down the danger of the coronavirus pandemic he steps up measures to protect himself

CNN reports: President Donald Trump appears ready to move on from a still-raging coronavirus pandemic — skipping the first White House task force briefing in months and moving the event out of the White House itself. But the measures meant to protect him from catching the virus have scaled up dramatically. As he seeks to insert rival Joe Biden’s health into the presidential campaign, Trump has voiced escalating concern about how it would appear if he contracted coronavirus and has…

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Compared to the European Union, why has the U.S. done such a poor job in containing Covid-19?

Compared to the European Union, why has the U.S. done such a poor job in containing Covid-19?

Max Nisen writes: A sluggish initial response and failure to ramp up testing let the virus spread far and wide in the U.S. And instead of coordinating a coherent and aggressive national response, President Donald Trump has consistently downplayed the threat of the infection and left decisions to insufficiently supported states. As a result, decisions over lockdowns and reopenings have been chaotic and have ignored the guidelines put forth by federal public health officials. Amid all of this, one particular…

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European Union plans to bar most U.S. travelers when bloc reopens

European Union plans to bar most U.S. travelers when bloc reopens

The New York Times reports: The European Union is ready to bar most travelers from the United States, Russia, and dozens of other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the coronavirus outbreak, E.U. officials said Friday. By contrast, travelers from more than a dozen countries that are not overwhelmed by the coronavirus are set to be welcomed when the bloc reopens after months of lockdown on July 1. The acceptable countries also include China — but only…

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Almost a third of black Americans know someone who died of Covid-19

Almost a third of black Americans know someone who died of Covid-19

The Washington Post reports: Nearly 1 in 3 black Americans know someone personally who has died of covid-19, far exceeding their white counterparts, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll that underscores the coronavirus pandemic’s profoundly disparate impact. The nationwide survey finds that 31 percent of black adults say they know someone firsthand who has been killed by the virus, compared with 17 percent of adults who are Hispanic and 9 percent who are white. Adding in those who know someone…

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How the coronavirus escapes an evolutionary trade-off that helps keep other pathogens in check

How the coronavirus escapes an evolutionary trade-off that helps keep other pathogens in check

An artistic rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. Getty Images / s-cphoto By Athena Aktipis, Arizona State University and Joe Alcock, University of New Mexico Viruses walk a fine line between severity and transmissibility. If they are too virulent, they kill or incapacitate their hosts; this limits their ability to infect new hosts. Conversely, viruses that cause little harm may not be generating enough copies of themselves to be infectious. But SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes…

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