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| Coronavirus Briefing: The Dire State of Testing | Coronavirus Briefing: The Dire State of Testing |
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| This is the Coronavirus Briefing, an informed guide to the global outbreak. Sign up here to get the briefing by email. | This is the Coronavirus Briefing, an informed guide to the global outbreak. Sign up here to get the briefing by email. |
| President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has tested positive for the coronavirus, after months of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic. | President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has tested positive for the coronavirus, after months of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic. |
| The Trump administration gave formal notice of U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, effective next year. | The Trump administration gave formal notice of U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, effective next year. |
| The U.S. government will pay the drugmaker Novavax $1.6 billion to make 100 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by the beginning of next year. | The U.S. government will pay the drugmaker Novavax $1.6 billion to make 100 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by the beginning of next year. |
| Get the latest updates here, plus maps and a tracker for U.S. metro areas. | Get the latest updates here, plus maps and a tracker for U.S. metro areas. |
| It’s déjà vu. With cases rising in 37 states, scenes from the early days of the pandemic — when people waited for hours in snaking lines to get a test — are being replayed in many parts of the country. Though the U.S. has greatly ramped up its testing capability, performing nearly three times as many tests in June as in April, a surge of infections has ushered in a new crisis. | It’s déjà vu. With cases rising in 37 states, scenes from the early days of the pandemic — when people waited for hours in snaking lines to get a test — are being replayed in many parts of the country. Though the U.S. has greatly ramped up its testing capability, performing nearly three times as many tests in June as in April, a surge of infections has ushered in a new crisis. |
| In New Orleans, one testing site ran out of tests five minutes after it opened yesterday. Arizona, which once had a stockpile of testing supplies, has run out of basic items since new cases began spiking last month. In Idaho, where the state lab has been swamped, officials told long-term care facilities that the state could no longer meet all their testing needs. | In New Orleans, one testing site ran out of tests five minutes after it opened yesterday. Arizona, which once had a stockpile of testing supplies, has run out of basic items since new cases began spiking last month. In Idaho, where the state lab has been swamped, officials told long-term care facilities that the state could no longer meet all their testing needs. |
| Experts say that fast, widely available testing is critical for stamping out the virus, but officials in some areas have had to return to former restrictions, limiting tests to only those with symptoms. | Experts say that fast, widely available testing is critical for stamping out the virus, but officials in some areas have had to return to former restrictions, limiting tests to only those with symptoms. |
| The lack of federal coordination has left some states and cities competing for resources, and makers of high-volume testing machines have started prioritizing sales to states with bigger outbreaks. | The lack of federal coordination has left some states and cities competing for resources, and makers of high-volume testing machines have started prioritizing sales to states with bigger outbreaks. |
| New York City was able to boost its capacity to 30,000 tests per day only after it created its own testing kits and partnered with private labs — and even then, the numbers have lagged far behind other countries, particularly in Asia, where cities have tested millions of people in a matter of days. | New York City was able to boost its capacity to 30,000 tests per day only after it created its own testing kits and partnered with private labs — and even then, the numbers have lagged far behind other countries, particularly in Asia, where cities have tested millions of people in a matter of days. |
| The future of testing: Researchers around the world are racing to develop reliable “point-of-care” tests that give results in under an hour and could be done in a doctor’s office or even at home. The rapid tests on the market today are often inaccurate, and the new ones are still months away from being in clinics. | The future of testing: Researchers around the world are racing to develop reliable “point-of-care” tests that give results in under an hour and could be done in a doctor’s office or even at home. The rapid tests on the market today are often inaccurate, and the new ones are still months away from being in clinics. |
| The decision to forgo a lockdown in Sweden was expected to spare the country from financial devastation, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Not only is Sweden’s death rate from the virus disproportionately high, but its economy has suffered similarly to its Scandinavian neighbors, which enacted aggressive early measures to control outbreaks — and have had far fewer deaths. | The decision to forgo a lockdown in Sweden was expected to spare the country from financial devastation, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Not only is Sweden’s death rate from the virus disproportionately high, but its economy has suffered similarly to its Scandinavian neighbors, which enacted aggressive early measures to control outbreaks — and have had far fewer deaths. |
| Sweden is a cautionary case study for places hoping for an economic revival as they reopen prematurely or trying to avoid another shutdown despite surging new cases. The Swedish economy is expected to shrink 4.5 percent this year, compared to 4.1 percent in Denmark and 3.9 percent in Norway. Unemployment has also increased. “They literally gained nothing,” one researcher said. | Sweden is a cautionary case study for places hoping for an economic revival as they reopen prematurely or trying to avoid another shutdown despite surging new cases. The Swedish economy is expected to shrink 4.5 percent this year, compared to 4.1 percent in Denmark and 3.9 percent in Norway. Unemployment has also increased. “They literally gained nothing,” one researcher said. |
| How could this happen in a country that remained open? The virus seems to be the real enemy of economic prosperity, not stay-at-home orders. Sweden’s manufacturing sector has been shut down by holes in the supply chain. And while stores and restaurants can continue to welcome consumers, many people have been scared off. Credit data from one of the largest banks in Scandinavia shows that Swedes cut back on spending by 25 percent from mid-March to April — nearly as much as Danes during the same period. | How could this happen in a country that remained open? The virus seems to be the real enemy of economic prosperity, not stay-at-home orders. Sweden’s manufacturing sector has been shut down by holes in the supply chain. And while stores and restaurants can continue to welcome consumers, many people have been scared off. Credit data from one of the largest banks in Scandinavia shows that Swedes cut back on spending by 25 percent from mid-March to April — nearly as much as Danes during the same period. |
| Updated July 7, 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. | |
| In Florida, more than 40 hospitals across the state reported having no more beds available in their adult intensive care units. The state added more than 7,300 new cases on Tuesday. | In Florida, more than 40 hospitals across the state reported having no more beds available in their adult intensive care units. The state added more than 7,300 new cases on Tuesday. |
| The virus death toll in India surpassed 20,000. With more than 719,500 cases, the country has overtaken Russia to become the third hardest-hit, after the United States and Brazil. | The virus death toll in India surpassed 20,000. With more than 719,500 cases, the country has overtaken Russia to become the third hardest-hit, after the United States and Brazil. |
| Melbourne, Australia’s second-biggest city, will be locked down for six weeks after a record daily tally of new cases, officials said today. | Melbourne, Australia’s second-biggest city, will be locked down for six weeks after a record daily tally of new cases, officials said today. |
| Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states. | Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states. |
| Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the Trump administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, conceded that “none of us really anticipated the amount of community spread that began in really our 18-to-35-year-old age group.” | Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the Trump administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, conceded that “none of us really anticipated the amount of community spread that began in really our 18-to-35-year-old age group.” |
| Scientists from the World Health Organization will travel to China this weekend to begin an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus. | Scientists from the World Health Organization will travel to China this weekend to begin an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus. |
| Nurses who came to New York to battle the coronavirus are facing a new challenge: persuading family and friends back home that the virus is not a hoax. | Nurses who came to New York to battle the coronavirus are facing a new challenge: persuading family and friends back home that the virus is not a hoax. |
| New York City lost a million jobs when it shut down nearly four months ago, and its unemployment rate is still hovering near 20 percent — a figure not seen since the Great Depression. | New York City lost a million jobs when it shut down nearly four months ago, and its unemployment rate is still hovering near 20 percent — a figure not seen since the Great Depression. |
| After hundreds of experts called for the W.H.O. to review its guidelines on airborne transmission, the organization acknowledged that airborne transmission may be important indoors. | After hundreds of experts called for the W.H.O. to review its guidelines on airborne transmission, the organization acknowledged that airborne transmission may be important indoors. |
| A herdsman in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia was infected with bubonic plague, a reminder of how even as the world battles a pandemic, old threats remain. | A herdsman in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia was infected with bubonic plague, a reminder of how even as the world battles a pandemic, old threats remain. |
| New data shows that young people are more likely to move out because of the pandemic than other age groups. | New data shows that young people are more likely to move out because of the pandemic than other age groups. |
| Every day I triage and treat people with Covid-19 and a variety of other medical problems via telemedicine while “working from home.” I had no idea when I started doing this what an important role telemedicine would come to play in the pandemic. | Every day I triage and treat people with Covid-19 and a variety of other medical problems via telemedicine while “working from home.” I had no idea when I started doing this what an important role telemedicine would come to play in the pandemic. |
| — Dr. Mark L. Friedman, Newbury, N.H. | — Dr. Mark L. Friedman, Newbury, N.H. |
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