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The Collateral Damage of the Coronavirus The Collateral Damage of the Coronavirus
(32 minutes later)
As shopping centers emptied, shows were canceled and office towers turned dark, millions of people suddenly found themselves without jobs.As shopping centers emptied, shows were canceled and office towers turned dark, millions of people suddenly found themselves without jobs.
By Brent Lewis and Tiffany HsuBy Brent Lewis and Tiffany Hsu
They are ad executives, handymen, servers and wedding D.J.s. They worked in law firms and hotels and retail stores and concert halls. As the outbreak spread, the coronavirus sucked workers from every corner of the American economy.They are ad executives, handymen, servers and wedding D.J.s. They worked in law firms and hotels and retail stores and concert halls. As the outbreak spread, the coronavirus sucked workers from every corner of the American economy.
The unemployment rate soared last month to 14.7 percent, the highest level on record, according to government data released Friday. In February, it was 3.5 percent, a half-century low. While states try to gradually reopen after sheltering and shutdowns, barely more than half the adult population of the United States now has a job.The unemployment rate soared last month to 14.7 percent, the highest level on record, according to government data released Friday. In February, it was 3.5 percent, a half-century low. While states try to gradually reopen after sheltering and shutdowns, barely more than half the adult population of the United States now has a job.
Among those who lost their jobs, many were furloughed, left with a sense of hope that their situations were temporary. Freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs found themselves without gigs. Others were laid off.Among those who lost their jobs, many were furloughed, left with a sense of hope that their situations were temporary. Freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs found themselves without gigs. Others were laid off.
Some people tried to find new jobs, unsure if any existed, or applied for unemployment benefits, only to find themselves stuck in interminable bureaucracy. Many stretched the stimulus checks they received from the federal government. They learned to live lean — canceling subscriptions, rationing food and pleading with creditors for extensions. They felt pressured by stress, or loneliness, or uncertainty.Some people tried to find new jobs, unsure if any existed, or applied for unemployment benefits, only to find themselves stuck in interminable bureaucracy. Many stretched the stimulus checks they received from the federal government. They learned to live lean — canceling subscriptions, rationing food and pleading with creditors for extensions. They felt pressured by stress, or loneliness, or uncertainty.
“I want life to go back to normal, to go to work, to be surrounded by my co-workers, to have something to do.”“I want life to go back to normal, to go to work, to be surrounded by my co-workers, to have something to do.”
“I’m not looking for a handout. I’m just looking for these benefits. I don’t have a dollar to my name.”“I’m not looking for a handout. I’m just looking for these benefits. I don’t have a dollar to my name.”
“The level of anxiety and fear is growing by the day … we have no support with our profession in the entertainment field.”“The level of anxiety and fear is growing by the day … we have no support with our profession in the entertainment field.”
“The journey to get through to unemployment has been unpleasant, if unsurprising. I tried filing online dozens of times, only to have it boot me out of the process at various points. ”“The journey to get through to unemployment has been unpleasant, if unsurprising. I tried filing online dozens of times, only to have it boot me out of the process at various points. ”
“It’s very scary. Every day I wake up hoping I will get my unemployment benefits, but I haven’t gotten it.”“It’s very scary. Every day I wake up hoping I will get my unemployment benefits, but I haven’t gotten it.”
“I’m stuck, I’m frustrated, and I don’t really know where to go from here.”“I’m stuck, I’m frustrated, and I don’t really know where to go from here.”
“I’m not letting myself think about tomorrow, just about whether we have food today and money in the bank.”“I’m not letting myself think about tomorrow, just about whether we have food today and money in the bank.”
“I used my stimulus check to pay my light bill, and I’m using that to keep groceries and stuff in the house. But other than that, I don’t have any other income, and I’m almost out of money.”“I used my stimulus check to pay my light bill, and I’m using that to keep groceries and stuff in the house. But other than that, I don’t have any other income, and I’m almost out of money.”
“We are stuck with absolutely nowhere to turn.”“We are stuck with absolutely nowhere to turn.”
“I was grateful that my role was not terminated completely, but it was definitely still a shock and I had to think quickly about how I would manage.”“I was grateful that my role was not terminated completely, but it was definitely still a shock and I had to think quickly about how I would manage.”
“This was my first journalism position out of college. I’d thought we would all ride out the storm together. Instead I lost my dream job.”“This was my first journalism position out of college. I’d thought we would all ride out the storm together. Instead I lost my dream job.”
“There’s so many things up in the air right now, and it’s so stressful.”“There’s so many things up in the air right now, and it’s so stressful.”
“I never imagined this kind of job market where the entire advertising industry has been crushed.”“I never imagined this kind of job market where the entire advertising industry has been crushed.”
Updated June 22, 2020
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.
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.
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.
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.
“It was two weeks of just panic — I was just going off the groceries I already had, trying to ration until money came in.”“It was two weeks of just panic — I was just going off the groceries I already had, trying to ration until money came in.”
“We have not been able to afford to pay rent. We paid for the utilities and bought food. If we paid rent on top, we literally wouldn’t have anything left.”“We have not been able to afford to pay rent. We paid for the utilities and bought food. If we paid rent on top, we literally wouldn’t have anything left.”
“In a moment, I became both jobless and homeless.”“In a moment, I became both jobless and homeless.”
“I know my job as a dental health care professional is extremely high risk, and I knew that I would be first to be laid off and last to be reinstated.”“I know my job as a dental health care professional is extremely high risk, and I knew that I would be first to be laid off and last to be reinstated.”
“All my friends in the theater industry essentially lost their jobs and livelihoods the same day. The ripple effect of it knocked me back.”“All my friends in the theater industry essentially lost their jobs and livelihoods the same day. The ripple effect of it knocked me back.”
“It was like, this is unbelievable, this is not really happening.”“It was like, this is unbelievable, this is not really happening.”
“Other generations have dealt with far worse with wars and such. It also helps just knowing that we’re all in this together for once.”“Other generations have dealt with far worse with wars and such. It also helps just knowing that we’re all in this together for once.”
“We’re praying my wife doesn’t lose her job … but we have cut back, and will continue to dip into our savings when necessary.”“We’re praying my wife doesn’t lose her job … but we have cut back, and will continue to dip into our savings when necessary.”
“When music is your job, you’re always working toward the next performance, but now that we don’t have a next performance, our only goal is for our son to grow up knowing the joy that music can bring.”“When music is your job, you’re always working toward the next performance, but now that we don’t have a next performance, our only goal is for our son to grow up knowing the joy that music can bring.”