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| Turning the Tables, Russia Sends Virus Aid to U.S. | Turning the Tables, Russia Sends Virus Aid to U.S. |
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| MOSCOW — In the early 1990s, amid the poverty-ridden collapse of the Soviet Union, American food aid in the form of a flood of cheap chicken thighs — Russians called them “Bush legs” — symbolized the humiliating downfall of a superpower. | MOSCOW — In the early 1990s, amid the poverty-ridden collapse of the Soviet Union, American food aid in the form of a flood of cheap chicken thighs — Russians called them “Bush legs” — symbolized the humiliating downfall of a superpower. |
| Three decades later, Moscow got a chance to turn the tables. A giant An-124 Russian military transport plane landed at Kennedy International Airport in New York, bearing cartons of masks and ventilators from Russia for a pandemic-stricken metropolis. | Three decades later, Moscow got a chance to turn the tables. A giant An-124 Russian military transport plane landed at Kennedy International Airport in New York, bearing cartons of masks and ventilators from Russia for a pandemic-stricken metropolis. |
| “If someone had said even just a week ago that the United States would be thanking Russia for humanitarian aid,” an anchor on Russian state television marveled Thursday, the day after the plane touched down, “people would have said you’re crazy.” | “If someone had said even just a week ago that the United States would be thanking Russia for humanitarian aid,” an anchor on Russian state television marveled Thursday, the day after the plane touched down, “people would have said you’re crazy.” |
| But with the pandemic increasingly bearing down on Russia, the Kremlin’s propaganda machine appeared to avoid trumpeting the aid shipment lest Russians think that the government was ignoring their own plight. | But with the pandemic increasingly bearing down on Russia, the Kremlin’s propaganda machine appeared to avoid trumpeting the aid shipment lest Russians think that the government was ignoring their own plight. |
| After plans for the shipment stirred criticism on both sides of the Atlantic, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday that the two countries had in fact evenly split the cost of the medical goods and that Russia could depend on future aid from the United States in fighting the coronavirus. | After plans for the shipment stirred criticism on both sides of the Atlantic, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday that the two countries had in fact evenly split the cost of the medical goods and that Russia could depend on future aid from the United States in fighting the coronavirus. |
| “We are certain that if it’s necessary they will in the future be able to help Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement. | “We are certain that if it’s necessary they will in the future be able to help Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement. |
| The pushback over Russia’s shipment to New York — where the governor and the mayor have been sounding alarms about a shortage of personal protective equipment and ventilators — traced the geopolitical shadow cast over the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. It also raised fresh questions about Mr. Trump’s close relationship with Mr. Putin — and Mr. Putin’s commitment to fighting the virus in his own country. | The pushback over Russia’s shipment to New York — where the governor and the mayor have been sounding alarms about a shortage of personal protective equipment and ventilators — traced the geopolitical shadow cast over the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. It also raised fresh questions about Mr. Trump’s close relationship with Mr. Putin — and Mr. Putin’s commitment to fighting the virus in his own country. |
| For the Kremlin, the shipment was a propaganda coup: the latest chance to show Mr. Putin’s nation and the globe that the days of Russia as a supplicant on the world stage were long gone. | For the Kremlin, the shipment was a propaganda coup: the latest chance to show Mr. Putin’s nation and the globe that the days of Russia as a supplicant on the world stage were long gone. |
| But the propaganda victory was bittersweet as the spread of the coronavirus gathered pace in Russia, perhaps explaining why the plane’s landing in New York received only cursory treatment on Thursday’s main Russian state television news broadcasts. While the pandemic does not yet appear to have reached the scale seen in Western Europe and the United States, in Russia, opposition politicians and medical workers have warned of a potential shortage of equipment in the coming weeks. | But the propaganda victory was bittersweet as the spread of the coronavirus gathered pace in Russia, perhaps explaining why the plane’s landing in New York received only cursory treatment on Thursday’s main Russian state television news broadcasts. While the pandemic does not yet appear to have reached the scale seen in Western Europe and the United States, in Russia, opposition politicians and medical workers have warned of a potential shortage of equipment in the coming weeks. |
| In the Perm region in the Ural Mountains, the authorities on Wednesday urged residents to start sewing their own masks. | In the Perm region in the Ural Mountains, the authorities on Wednesday urged residents to start sewing their own masks. |
| “Doctors and nurses in the whole country are sitting without masks and getting each other sick,” the opposition activist Aleksei A. Navalny posted on Twitter. “This is monstrous. Putin is crazy.” | “Doctors and nurses in the whole country are sitting without masks and getting each other sick,” the opposition activist Aleksei A. Navalny posted on Twitter. “This is monstrous. Putin is crazy.” |
| Mr. Putin did not mention the aid delivery in an address to the nation about coronavirus on Thursday. Instead, he warned that some regions, including Moscow, had not yet brought the pandemic under control. | Mr. Putin did not mention the aid delivery in an address to the nation about coronavirus on Thursday. Instead, he warned that some regions, including Moscow, had not yet brought the pandemic under control. |
| “Virology specialists believe that the epidemic is not yet past its peak globally, and the same goes for our country,” a stern Mr. Putin said Thursday, addressing Russians from his country home outside Moscow, where he has been working remotely in recent days. | “Virology specialists believe that the epidemic is not yet past its peak globally, and the same goes for our country,” a stern Mr. Putin said Thursday, addressing Russians from his country home outside Moscow, where he has been working remotely in recent days. |
| Mr. Putin said a nationwide paid holiday to fight the pandemic would be extended until the end of the month, but he left it to regional authorities to decree their own social distancing measures. Russia’s two biggest and hardest hit cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, went into lockdown this week with residents forbidden to leave their homes except to buy food and medicine, and to walk their dogs within a hundred yards of their residence. | Mr. Putin said a nationwide paid holiday to fight the pandemic would be extended until the end of the month, but he left it to regional authorities to decree their own social distancing measures. Russia’s two biggest and hardest hit cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, went into lockdown this week with residents forbidden to leave their homes except to buy food and medicine, and to walk their dogs within a hundred yards of their residence. |
| Russia has reported far fewer infected people than hard-hit countries like the United States and Italy, but their numbers have increased fourfold over the past week, to 3,548, with the authorities on Thursday reporting 770 new cases, compared with just 182 new infections a week ago. Thirty coronavirus patients had died in Russia as of Thursday morning, the government said. | Russia has reported far fewer infected people than hard-hit countries like the United States and Italy, but their numbers have increased fourfold over the past week, to 3,548, with the authorities on Thursday reporting 770 new cases, compared with just 182 new infections a week ago. Thirty coronavirus patients had died in Russia as of Thursday morning, the government said. |
| The coronavirus has already stung Russia’s economy, with global demand for oil and Russia’s other natural resources plummeting, in part as a result of the pandemic. But it has also provided the Kremlin with new propaganda openings, as Russia — for now — has appeared to fare better in slowing the spread of the virus than have Western countries. While many Russians doubt the official numbers of cases and deaths, there have not been reports of hospitals being overwhelmed by patients. | The coronavirus has already stung Russia’s economy, with global demand for oil and Russia’s other natural resources plummeting, in part as a result of the pandemic. But it has also provided the Kremlin with new propaganda openings, as Russia — for now — has appeared to fare better in slowing the spread of the virus than have Western countries. While many Russians doubt the official numbers of cases and deaths, there have not been reports of hospitals being overwhelmed by patients. |
| The Russian military said last week that it had also dispatched at least 15 planeloads of medical equipment and personnel to help Italy fight the virus. Russia’s Defense Ministry sent Moscow-based journalists at least 37 emails to trumpet that mission, including footage of dark-green Russian military trucks accompanied by Italian police on Italian roads. They carried Russian flags along with banners reading “From Russia With Love.” | The Russian military said last week that it had also dispatched at least 15 planeloads of medical equipment and personnel to help Italy fight the virus. Russia’s Defense Ministry sent Moscow-based journalists at least 37 emails to trumpet that mission, including footage of dark-green Russian military trucks accompanied by Italian police on Italian roads. They carried Russian flags along with banners reading “From Russia With Love.” |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| 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. | 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. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Pro-Kremlin news outlets have been quick to contrast Russia’s Italian mission with what they say is a lack of help to Italy from the United States and even other European countries. | Pro-Kremlin news outlets have been quick to contrast Russia’s Italian mission with what they say is a lack of help to Italy from the United States and even other European countries. |
| “Each of these countries that are part of the same NATO bloc and of the European Union and brag about their trans-Atlantic solidarity began by walling themselves off from one another and tried to all solve their problems on their own,” Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Parliament’s upper house, said in a Russian state television interview Thursday. | “Each of these countries that are part of the same NATO bloc and of the European Union and brag about their trans-Atlantic solidarity began by walling themselves off from one another and tried to all solve their problems on their own,” Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Parliament’s upper house, said in a Russian state television interview Thursday. |
| Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump spoke on Monday, and the American president later said Russia was “very nice” to send “a very, very large planeload of things.” Brett McGurk, Mr. Trump’s former special envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, called the Russian flight “a propaganda bonanza” and said Washington had shrunk from a global leadership role in fighting the coronavirus crisis. | Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump spoke on Monday, and the American president later said Russia was “very nice” to send “a very, very large planeload of things.” Brett McGurk, Mr. Trump’s former special envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, called the Russian flight “a propaganda bonanza” and said Washington had shrunk from a global leadership role in fighting the coronavirus crisis. |
| Russia, however, insisted the aid flight to New York was part of a longer-term strategy to fight the pandemic on a global level. The government-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund, which paid for half the shipment, said it was working with U.S. companies to deliver medical supplies to Russia if they are needed. | Russia, however, insisted the aid flight to New York was part of a longer-term strategy to fight the pandemic on a global level. The government-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund, which paid for half the shipment, said it was working with U.S. companies to deliver medical supplies to Russia if they are needed. |
| On Thursday, the latest target of Russia’s virus diplomacy emerged: Serbia. Moscow and the West have long battled for influence in the Balkan country, which has reported more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. Mr. Putin spoke by phone to his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, and promised that Russia’s military would send aid to help fight the virus. | On Thursday, the latest target of Russia’s virus diplomacy emerged: Serbia. Moscow and the West have long battled for influence in the Balkan country, which has reported more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. Mr. Putin spoke by phone to his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, and promised that Russia’s military would send aid to help fight the virus. |
| Afterward, Mr. Vucic issued a statement thanking the Kremlin, according to the Interfax news agency. Despite the crisis touching Russia itself, the statement said, “the Russian leadership is thinking about Serbia and the friendly Serbian people.” | Afterward, Mr. Vucic issued a statement thanking the Kremlin, according to the Interfax news agency. Despite the crisis touching Russia itself, the statement said, “the Russian leadership is thinking about Serbia and the friendly Serbian people.” |
| Andrew Higgins contributed reporting. | Andrew Higgins contributed reporting. |