So far, no drugs have been clearly effective in treating COVID-19; the second wave next winter could be worse; and stay-at-home orders have an unintended benefit. Get the latest updates on coronavirus at home and around the world:
- As of this morning, the world is approaching 2.6 million confirmed cases, with almost 180,000 deaths and nearly 700,000 recoveries. In the U.S., we’ve had over 825,000 cases. Forty-five thousand people have died, and almost 76,000 have recovered.
- New drug guidelines for treating COVID-19 say that so far, no treatment has been proven effective. An anti-malarial drug touted by President Trump was linked to higher death rates in a preliminary study.
- The CDC Director says that a second wave of COVID, coinciding with flu season, could be worse than what we’re experiencing now.
- An autopsy showed that the first COVID death in the U.S. happened on February 6 in California, weeks earlier than the Washington case previously believed to be the first.
- Two-thirds of Americans support vote-by-mail in November, according to a new poll. Two weeks after Wisconsin held controversial in-person elections, 19 people connected to the polling have tested positive.
- The lack of testing isn’t the only thing complicating the decision to ease restrictions. Much is still unknown about how the virus behaves. Among new developments: Doctors are finding that patients have a propensity for developing blood clots, and the maker of a widely used rapid-response test says it can produce false negatives.
- Protests against lockdown restrictions may have grassroots elements, but they’re largely organized and supported by conservative political operatives, finds more than one investigation. Despite these efforts, a new poll finds a bipartisan majority of Americans—88% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans—want to continue to shelter in place.
- Around the world, countries are struggling to figure out safe ways to ease restrictions.
- The U.N. warns that coronavirus may cause a global famine of “biblical proportions.”
- In China, some COVID patients are testing positive more than two months after recovering from the disease. But in South Korea, where they’ve seen similar recurrences, researchers believe these patients are far less infectious.
- There are 10 million people living in refugee camps around the world, with limited access to healthcare. Almost none have been tested.
- Stay-at-home orders have had an unexpected impact: When people stay home, Earth becomes cleaner and wilder.
- With so much uncertainty about when gatherings might be safe again, cancellations are moving further into the future. The Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals, scheduled for late May, have been cancelled for the first time since World War II. Summer theater festivals across the country have been called off. Cal State Fullerton’s fall semester will be virtual. And Munich’s Oktoberfest, which normally attracts 6 million people, has been cancelled.
- It’s OK to laugh during a pandemic.
- Whether you need some stress relief or just feel like watching sea otters frolic, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s live cams can help.