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| Coronavirus Halts Another U.K. Ritual: Birthday Gun Salute for Queen | Coronavirus Halts Another U.K. Ritual: Birthday Gun Salute for Queen |
| (2 months later) | |
| LONDON — When Queen Elizabeth II turns 94 on Tuesday, for the first time in her nearly seven-decade reign her birthday will not be marked by a gun salute — another longstanding ritual lost to the grim siege of the coronavirus. | LONDON — When Queen Elizabeth II turns 94 on Tuesday, for the first time in her nearly seven-decade reign her birthday will not be marked by a gun salute — another longstanding ritual lost to the grim siege of the coronavirus. |
| The queen requested that “no special measures be put in place” for artillery guns to be fired from multiple sites around London, according to Buckingham Palace, because she did not “feel it appropriate in the current circumstances.” She also instructed that flags should not be flown in her honor unless it could be done while observing social distancing restrictions. | The queen requested that “no special measures be put in place” for artillery guns to be fired from multiple sites around London, according to Buckingham Palace, because she did not “feel it appropriate in the current circumstances.” She also instructed that flags should not be flown in her honor unless it could be done while observing social distancing restrictions. |
| Buckingham Palace said the queen, who has sequestered herself at Windsor Castle since mid-March, did not plan to mark her birthday “in any special way.” She might speak to members of the royal family, who are scattered across the country, by video call, a palace official said, but the conversations would be private. | Buckingham Palace said the queen, who has sequestered herself at Windsor Castle since mid-March, did not plan to mark her birthday “in any special way.” She might speak to members of the royal family, who are scattered across the country, by video call, a palace official said, but the conversations would be private. |
| The palace had already scrapped the queen’s birthday parade, known as Trooping the Color. That elaborate military procession is traditionally held in June and draws thousands of spectators to the wide avenue in front of the palace, where she waves from the balcony, as fighter jets roar overhead. | The palace had already scrapped the queen’s birthday parade, known as Trooping the Color. That elaborate military procession is traditionally held in June and draws thousands of spectators to the wide avenue in front of the palace, where she waves from the balcony, as fighter jets roar overhead. |
| The queen has managed to be at once conspicuously absent and reassuringly visible during the pandemic. She left London abruptly on March 19, four days before Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown on the country, and has been living in isolation at Windsor since then. | The queen has managed to be at once conspicuously absent and reassuringly visible during the pandemic. She left London abruptly on March 19, four days before Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown on the country, and has been living in isolation at Windsor since then. |
| But she delivered a rare televised address on April 5 to rally Britons for the national struggle against the virus. Drawing on her own experience as a young princess during World War II, the queen appealed to the country to show solidarity and stoicism — not by drawing together but by staying apart. | But she delivered a rare televised address on April 5 to rally Britons for the national struggle against the virus. Drawing on her own experience as a young princess during World War II, the queen appealed to the country to show solidarity and stoicism — not by drawing together but by staying apart. |
| “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return,” the queen said. “We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.” | “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return,” the queen said. “We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.” |
| That last line alluded to “We’ll Meet Again,” a 1939 song popularized by Vera Lynn that became a wartime favorite in Britain. The address carried a distinct echo of the famous speech the queen’s father, George VI, gave on the brink of the war, lending it emotional resonance in a country where the virus has killed more than 15,400 people and threatened the political establishment. | That last line alluded to “We’ll Meet Again,” a 1939 song popularized by Vera Lynn that became a wartime favorite in Britain. The address carried a distinct echo of the famous speech the queen’s father, George VI, gave on the brink of the war, lending it emotional resonance in a country where the virus has killed more than 15,400 people and threatened the political establishment. |
| Less than an hour after the queen spoke this month, the government announced that Mr. Johnson had been hospitalized with the virus. He spent three nights in intensive care and is now recuperating at Chequers, the country residence of British prime ministers. Several of Mr. Johnson’s senior aides were also infected. | Less than an hour after the queen spoke this month, the government announced that Mr. Johnson had been hospitalized with the virus. He spent three nights in intensive care and is now recuperating at Chequers, the country residence of British prime ministers. Several of Mr. Johnson’s senior aides were also infected. |
| Fears for the queen’s health surged after Prince Charles, her eldest son and heir to the throne, announced on March 25 that he was suffering symptoms of the virus. The prince, 71, had met his mother on March 12, only a day before his medical advisers assessed that he could have been infectious. | Fears for the queen’s health surged after Prince Charles, her eldest son and heir to the throne, announced on March 25 that he was suffering symptoms of the virus. The prince, 71, had met his mother on March 12, only a day before his medical advisers assessed that he could have been infectious. |
| Updated June 30, 2020 | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| News outlets reported that one of the queen’s footmen, who is responsible for walking her dogs, had also contracted the virus. Buckingham Palace took extraordinary measures to protect her during the taping of the speech, allowing only a single camera operator, wearing a mask and gloves, to be in the room. | News outlets reported that one of the queen’s footmen, who is responsible for walking her dogs, had also contracted the virus. Buckingham Palace took extraordinary measures to protect her during the taping of the speech, allowing only a single camera operator, wearing a mask and gloves, to be in the room. |
| The queen looked at ease and alert during her speech, and Buckingham Palace has offered no updates on her condition. The palace is already planning her platinum jubilee, in 2022, marking 70 years on the throne. She is the world’s oldest monarch and longest-serving head of state. | The queen looked at ease and alert during her speech, and Buckingham Palace has offered no updates on her condition. The palace is already planning her platinum jubilee, in 2022, marking 70 years on the throne. She is the world’s oldest monarch and longest-serving head of state. |