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| Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today | Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| 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. |
| The financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic is mounting: The U.S. economy’s output fell a staggering 9.5 percent in the second quarter, the biggest decline ever recorded, and 1.43 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, the second weekly increase in a row after almost four months of declines. | The financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic is mounting: The U.S. economy’s output fell a staggering 9.5 percent in the second quarter, the biggest decline ever recorded, and 1.43 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, the second weekly increase in a row after almost four months of declines. |
| Unlike downturns in the Great Depression and the demobilization after World War II, both of which occurred before the advent of modern economic statistics, this recession was a result of a conscious decision to suspend economic activity to slow the spread of the virus. | Unlike downturns in the Great Depression and the demobilization after World War II, both of which occurred before the advent of modern economic statistics, this recession was a result of a conscious decision to suspend economic activity to slow the spread of the virus. |
| That plan hasn’t exactly worked out. The virus has continued its deadly trajectory, prompting states to roll back reopenings and keeping fearful consumers at home. During the second quarter, consumer spending plummeted a record 10.1 percent. The service sector was particularly hard-hit, with spending dropping 13.3 percent as people avoided restaurants and recreational activities. | That plan hasn’t exactly worked out. The virus has continued its deadly trajectory, prompting states to roll back reopenings and keeping fearful consumers at home. During the second quarter, consumer spending plummeted a record 10.1 percent. The service sector was particularly hard-hit, with spending dropping 13.3 percent as people avoided restaurants and recreational activities. |
| For 19 straight weeks, jobless claims have topped one million, a trend that shows no signs of reversing. At the same time, the $600 weekly supplement that has kept many Americans afloat during the crisis is expiring tomorrow, and congressional Republicans and Democrats are still fighting over how to replace it. | For 19 straight weeks, jobless claims have topped one million, a trend that shows no signs of reversing. At the same time, the $600 weekly supplement that has kept many Americans afloat during the crisis is expiring tomorrow, and congressional Republicans and Democrats are still fighting over how to replace it. |
| One bright spot: The housing market is the only solid sector of the U.S. economy, with sales of new homes rising 13.8 percent in June and 19.4 percent in May. The trend appears to be driven by urban residents seeking more space in the suburbs. | One bright spot: The housing market is the only solid sector of the U.S. economy, with sales of new homes rising 13.8 percent in June and 19.4 percent in May. The trend appears to be driven by urban residents seeking more space in the suburbs. |
| In the race to understand the coronavirus and how it is transmitted, scientists still have much to learn. But two new studies shed some light on two of the biggest question marks: the roles played by young children and aerosols. | In the race to understand the coronavirus and how it is transmitted, scientists still have much to learn. But two new studies shed some light on two of the biggest question marks: the roles played by young children and aerosols. |
| Though infected children have not been considered vectors of the virus, a small study released on Thursday found that kids under the age of 5 have as much viral material in their noses and throats as adults, and perhaps as much as 100 times more. The research doesn’t prove that children spread the virus, but experts say it’s highly suggestive that they might. | Though infected children have not been considered vectors of the virus, a small study released on Thursday found that kids under the age of 5 have as much viral material in their noses and throats as adults, and perhaps as much as 100 times more. The research doesn’t prove that children spread the virus, but experts say it’s highly suggestive that they might. |
| Aerosols — microscopic droplets that people produce when exhaling or talking — have also captivated scientists, many of whom sounded alarm bells long before the World Health Organization acknowledged this month that the virus can be airborne. A new study looked at how the virus exploded onboard the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship where 700 of the 3,711 passengers and crew members tested positive for the virus in January. The researchers concluded that 60 percent of infections were spread via aerosols. | Aerosols — microscopic droplets that people produce when exhaling or talking — have also captivated scientists, many of whom sounded alarm bells long before the World Health Organization acknowledged this month that the virus can be airborne. A new study looked at how the virus exploded onboard the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship where 700 of the 3,711 passengers and crew members tested positive for the virus in January. The researchers concluded that 60 percent of infections were spread via aerosols. |
| “Epidemiologists are finding that this disease stalks us indoors,” writes Zeynep Tufekci, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, in The Atlantic, arguing that we need to pay more attention to ventilation. To ward off potentially infectious aerosols, Linsey Marr, an engineer who studies how viruses spread through the air, advises in a Times Op-Ed to open windows and upgrade filters in air-conditioners and heaters. And the golden rules of the pandemic remain: Keep your distance, wear a mask with multiple layers and avoid crowds. | “Epidemiologists are finding that this disease stalks us indoors,” writes Zeynep Tufekci, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, in The Atlantic, arguing that we need to pay more attention to ventilation. To ward off potentially infectious aerosols, Linsey Marr, an engineer who studies how viruses spread through the air, advises in a Times Op-Ed to open windows and upgrade filters in air-conditioners and heaters. And the golden rules of the pandemic remain: Keep your distance, wear a mask with multiple layers and avoid crowds. |
| Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states. | Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states. |
| Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. | Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
| Sign up here to get the briefing by email. | Sign up here to get the briefing by email. |