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The Latest on Coronavirus in New York The Latest on Coronavirus in New York
(about 1 hour later)
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It’s Tuesday.It’s Tuesday.
Weather: A chance of light rain until about noon. The high will be in the mid-50s.Weather: A chance of light rain until about noon. The high will be in the mid-50s.
Alternate-side parking: In effect until Feb. 12 (Lincoln’s Birthday).Alternate-side parking: In effect until Feb. 12 (Lincoln’s Birthday).
[Read the latest on coronavirus in New York: Without Chinese tourists, business sags.][Read the latest on coronavirus in New York: Without Chinese tourists, business sags.]
Last week, we told you that the city’s top health official said it was “inevitable” that the new strain of coronavirus, which began with an outbreak in China and has been spread by travelers across the globe, would arrive in New York.Last week, we told you that the city’s top health official said it was “inevitable” that the new strain of coronavirus, which began with an outbreak in China and has been spread by travelers across the globe, would arrive in New York.
Now, three patients in the city are being tested for the coronavirus.Now, three patients in the city are being tested for the coronavirus.
[Coronavirus in New York: What we know so far.][Coronavirus in New York: What we know so far.]
Here is the latest:Here is the latest:
One patient is being treated at Bellevue Medical Center, and had a “fever, cough and a runny nose,” according to the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot.One patient is being treated at Bellevue Medical Center, and had a “fever, cough and a runny nose,” according to the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot.
Two others are being treated at hospitals in Flushing, Queens. They are both over 60 years old, with symptoms that include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, Dr. Barbot said.Two others are being treated at hospitals in Flushing, Queens. They are both over 60 years old, with symptoms that include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, Dr. Barbot said.
All three had recently been in China.All three had recently been in China.
The new coronavirus causes a respiratory illness whose symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Initially, it may resemble flu or a bad cold.The new coronavirus causes a respiratory illness whose symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Initially, it may resemble flu or a bad cold.
The virus can incubate for as long as two weeks before a person shows symptoms. During that time, there is an indication that some people can spread the virus to others.The virus can incubate for as long as two weeks before a person shows symptoms. During that time, there is an indication that some people can spread the virus to others.
For now, local health departments lack the ability to test for the virus, so samples have to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The turnaround time for results is 36 to 48 hours at a minimum.For now, local health departments lack the ability to test for the virus, so samples have to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The turnaround time for results is 36 to 48 hours at a minimum.
In China, the number of cases has been surging since the virus began to spread late last year. Today, there are more than 20,400 confirmed cases in China, with nearly all of the more than 420 deaths in that country.In China, the number of cases has been surging since the virus began to spread late last year. Today, there are more than 20,400 confirmed cases in China, with nearly all of the more than 420 deaths in that country.
City officials have tried to reassure the public that the risk to New Yorkers is low and that the level of preparedness is high.City officials have tried to reassure the public that the risk to New Yorkers is low and that the level of preparedness is high.
Still, in trying to assuage fears, city officials have at times given different guidance than scientists at the C.D.C.Still, in trying to assuage fears, city officials have at times given different guidance than scientists at the C.D.C.
At a news conference, Mayor de Blasio said transmission of the coronavirus required “substantial contact with someone who already has it,” adding that “you don’t get it” from touching a surface.At a news conference, Mayor de Blasio said transmission of the coronavirus required “substantial contact with someone who already has it,” adding that “you don’t get it” from touching a surface.
The C.D.C., however, has more cautious advice. It said it’s not clear if someone can get the virus “by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes.”The C.D.C., however, has more cautious advice. It said it’s not clear if someone can get the virus “by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes.”
Weinstein Trial: Key Accuser Breaks Down in Tears on the StandWeinstein Trial: Key Accuser Breaks Down in Tears on the Stand
‘I May Have Killed Someone’: Drifter Charged in Upper East Side Murder‘I May Have Killed Someone’: Drifter Charged in Upper East Side Murder
He Worked for Obama and Bloomberg. Could He Be N.Y.C.’s Next Mayor?He Worked for Obama and Bloomberg. Could He Be N.Y.C.’s Next Mayor?
‘Hamilton’ Movie, With Original Broadway Cast, to Hit Theaters Next Year‘Hamilton’ Movie, With Original Broadway Cast, to Hit Theaters Next Year
Want more news? Check out our full coverage.Want more news? Check out our full coverage.
The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.
Would you swim in the East River? [Curbed]Would you swim in the East River? [Curbed]
Inmates at city jails have been hit with more than $1 million in fines since 2015. [The City]Inmates at city jails have been hit with more than $1 million in fines since 2015. [The City]
Sorry, New Jersey. Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake will attend college in New York. [Syracuse.com]Sorry, New Jersey. Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake will attend college in New York. [Syracuse.com]
Join a panel examining news media coverage of the 2020 election at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at C.U.N.Y. in Manhattan. 6:30 p.m. [Free]Join a panel examining news media coverage of the 2020 election at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at C.U.N.Y. in Manhattan. 6:30 p.m. [Free]
Open House New York hosts a presentation and conversation on accessibility in the city’s transit system at John Jay College in Manhattan. 6:30 p.m. [$15]Open House New York hosts a presentation and conversation on accessibility in the city’s transit system at John Jay College in Manhattan. 6:30 p.m. [$15]
CBS All Access presents a sneak peek of the true crime series “Interrogation,” followed by a Q. and A. with the show’s creators as well as the actors Peter Sarsgaard and Kyle Gallner, at Nitehawk Prospect Park in Brooklyn. 7:15 p.m. [Free]CBS All Access presents a sneak peek of the true crime series “Interrogation,” followed by a Q. and A. with the show’s creators as well as the actors Peter Sarsgaard and Kyle Gallner, at Nitehawk Prospect Park in Brooklyn. 7:15 p.m. [Free]
— Danya Issawi— Danya Issawi
Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.
Rachel Wharton writes:Rachel Wharton writes:
Running a street food cart is backbreaking work: dragging around a heavy cart, then standing behind it for hours on end.Running a street food cart is backbreaking work: dragging around a heavy cart, then standing behind it for hours on end.
Quitting would seem a gift to aching feet.Quitting would seem a gift to aching feet.
It hasn’t turned out that way for Mohamed Attia, who left his smoothie and halal-chicken-over-rice carts last year to become director of the Street Vendor Project, a part of the nonprofit Urban Justice Center.It hasn’t turned out that way for Mohamed Attia, who left his smoothie and halal-chicken-over-rice carts last year to become director of the Street Vendor Project, a part of the nonprofit Urban Justice Center.
Updated July 15, 2020Updated July 15, 2020
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
The group lobbies for the 20,000 or so vendors, most of whom are immigrants, who sell food, jewelry, clothing and just about everything else in New York City.The group lobbies for the 20,000 or so vendors, most of whom are immigrants, who sell food, jewelry, clothing and just about everything else in New York City.
Work for Mr. Attia is still an endurance run. He’ll bustle around Wall Street, teaching the people who sell $1 coffees and buttered rolls how to avoid fines for stationing carts too close to a curb.Work for Mr. Attia is still an endurance run. He’ll bustle around Wall Street, teaching the people who sell $1 coffees and buttered rolls how to avoid fines for stationing carts too close to a curb.
He’ll put on a suit and pace the floors of City Hall, where City Council members are now considering a bill that would increase the number of vending permits for the first time in four decades.He’ll put on a suit and pace the floors of City Hall, where City Council members are now considering a bill that would increase the number of vending permits for the first time in four decades.
Mr. Attia took the reins of the Street Vendor Project just around the time a bystander’s video of an encounter between the police and the “churro lady,” Elsa Morochoduchi, went viral.Mr. Attia took the reins of the Street Vendor Project just around the time a bystander’s video of an encounter between the police and the “churro lady,” Elsa Morochoduchi, went viral.
He has used the resulting uproar to bring new attention — and a new assertiveness — to the 19-year-old organization.He has used the resulting uproar to bring new attention — and a new assertiveness — to the 19-year-old organization.
“Vendors do this because they need a job,” he said. “It gives them the economic mobility to work, to save money, to start the American dream.”“Vendors do this because they need a job,” he said. “It gives them the economic mobility to work, to save money, to start the American dream.”
It’s Tuesday — eat something tasty.It’s Tuesday — eat something tasty.
Dear Diary:Dear Diary:
With every stop of the train, more passengers surged in than filed out. And with every stop of the train, I was nudged farther and farther into the car.With every stop of the train, more passengers surged in than filed out. And with every stop of the train, I was nudged farther and farther into the car.
I eventually found myself facing a woman who had her back to the door and her chin dropped to her chest. A two-lane highway of gray ran over the crown of her head. To either side was a fading chestnut brown.I eventually found myself facing a woman who had her back to the door and her chin dropped to her chest. A two-lane highway of gray ran over the crown of her head. To either side was a fading chestnut brown.
The woman looked up and into my eyes.The woman looked up and into my eyes.
“Do you think I should stop dying my hair?” she said.“Do you think I should stop dying my hair?” she said.
“Yes,” I replied after an appropriate two-second assessment. “I do.”“Yes,” I replied after an appropriate two-second assessment. “I do.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “What about the color of my skin? Would it look O.K. with gray hair?”“Are you sure?” she asked. “What about the color of my skin? Would it look O.K. with gray hair?”
“It will look beautiful,” I said after another quick assessment.“It will look beautiful,” I said after another quick assessment.
“Are you sure?” the woman asked a second time.“Are you sure?” the woman asked a second time.
“Yes,” I said. “You will look beautiful.”“Yes,” I said. “You will look beautiful.”
We pulled into the next station and the doors opened behind her. She thanked me, turned and walked away.We pulled into the next station and the doors opened behind her. She thanked me, turned and walked away.
— Rebecca Kalin— Rebecca Kalin
New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.
We’re experimenting with the format of New York Today. What would you like to see more (or less) of? Post a comment or email us: nytoday@nytimes.com.We’re experimenting with the format of New York Today. What would you like to see more (or less) of? Post a comment or email us: nytoday@nytimes.com.