| The promise of COVID-19 antibody testing Posted: 11 Apr 2020 01:58 PM PDT  We do not yet know if all COVID-19 patients are able to mount effective immunity and prevent reinfection.
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| Parts of the country could see coronavirus social distancing restrictions begin to ease by late May, say public health experts Posted: 11 Apr 2020 09:44 AM PDT  Much of the country is likely to see some social distancing restrictions ease by late May or early June, a top public health expert told Yahoo News on Friday.
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| Trump reportedly said he would reject a bailout package if it included aid to keep the US Postal Service functioning Posted: 11 Apr 2020 12:33 PM PDT  USPS has asked Congress for a $50 billion bailout and $25 billion in loans from the Treasury Department to make up for losses.
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| Julian Assange secretly fathered two children inside Ecuadorian embassy, partner reveals in bid for his release from Belmarsh amid coronavirus fears Posted: 12 Apr 2020 01:09 AM PDT  Julian Assange secretly fathered two children while living inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, his partner has revealed in a plea for him to be released from prison.The Wikileaks founder's partner, Stella Morris, made the revelation to the courts supporting an application for bail from HMP Belmarsh in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
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| El Salvador president threatens drivers violating coronavirus rules Posted: 12 Apr 2020 04:02 PM PDT  President Nayib Bukele said anyone driving cars in El Salvador without having justification for being out of their homes would be stripped of their driving license, doubling down on attempts to enforce rules to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Bukele and other Central American leaders have implemented swift and strict measures after the first cases of the novel coronavirus were registered but in recent weeks thousands of people in the region were detained for violating the rules. At his request, El Salvador's Congress on March 14 approved an emergency regime, which temporarily suspended the right to free movement and free association.
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| Cuomo on virus deaths: ‘Every one is a face and a name and a family that is suffering’ Posted: 12 Apr 2020 09:48 AM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed coronavirus deaths that occurred around the Easter holiday across New York state.
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| Sri Lanka Catholic church 'forgives' 2019 Easter suicide bombers Posted: 12 Apr 2020 12:50 AM PDT  Sri Lanka's Roman Catholic Church said Sunday it had forgiven the suicide bombers behind the attacks that killed at least 279 people last Easter. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told an Easter mass -- broadcast from a TV studio because of the coronavirus pandemic -- that "we offered love to the enemies who tried to destroy us". The April 21 Easter Sunday bombers targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing at least 279 people and wounding 593.
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| Footnotes indicate FBI knew of risk of disinformation in Steele dossier Posted: 10 Apr 2020 08:23 PM PDT  The FBI was warned sections of the controversial Steele dossier could have been part of a "Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate U.S. foreign relations," according to the footnotes.
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| U.K.'s Boris Johnson leaves hospital after personal COVID-19 battle Posted: 12 Apr 2020 02:36 PM PDT  "On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work," a spokesperson said.
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| 6 people were shot at a 'large party' held in California despite the state's social distancing order Posted: 12 Apr 2020 06:55 AM PDT  Police said they have not made any arrests in the case. All victims were treated at a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
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| Navy admiral admits that morale has taken a hit after USS Theodore Roosevelt's coronavirus outbreak and commander firing Posted: 10 Apr 2020 07:35 PM PDT  "There was lots of anxiety about the virus," US Navy Vice Adm. Bill Merz reportedly said.
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| Former FDA commissioner doesn't think Trump should pull WHO funding, but says president has some valid concerns Posted: 12 Apr 2020 09:31 AM PDT  President Trump has said he's reviewing whether to pull funding from the World Health Organization because he believes it allowed China to get away with hiding the truth about the novel COVID-19 coronavirus within its borders. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb doesn't believe now is the time to make a decision like that, especially because he's concerned about the virus taking off in the Southern Hemisphere where several countries lack the necessary health infrastructure. But he does think the president raises some valid concerns."China was not truthful with the world at the outset of this," Gottlieb told CBS' Margaret Brennan on Sunday's edition of Face the Nation, adding that if Beijing had been upfront about things, they may have been able to contain the virus entirely.And he doesn't think the WHO is blameless, either, since it was validating Chinese claims as late as Jan. 14 that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. The organization, he said, also didn't compel Beijing to share the viral strains, which would have allowed diagnostic tests to be produced earlier around the world.Instead of getting stripped of major U.S. funding, though, Gottlieb thinks the WHO needs to launch a report into how China handled things. He also echoed an ever-more popular talking point among analysts that the organization needs to "embrace Taiwan's role and allow them to attend the World Health Assembly." As things stand, the WHO has "frozen" Taiwan out, at "the behest of China," Gottlieb said. Tim O'Donnell> NEWS: @ScottGottliebMD says the @WHO should commission an after-action report to study "what China did or didn't tell the world" as well as the organization's response. pic.twitter.com/qC9ID87pJE> > — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 12, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 radically funny cartoons about the end of Bernie 2020 Coronavirus and the mystery of St. Mark's Easter story Sting, Jimmy Fallon, and the Roots perform 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' remotely, creatively
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| Italy's daily coronavirus death tally lowest since March 19 Posted: 12 Apr 2020 09:41 AM PDT  Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 431 on Sunday, down from 619 the day before, and the number of new cases slowed to 4,092 from a previous 4,694. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 rose to 19,899, the Civil Protection Agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.
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| India, Pakistan troops trade heavy fire in Kashmir; 3 killed Posted: 12 Apr 2020 07:52 AM PDT |
| Push-ups to fake guests: Curious African coronavirus moments Posted: 11 Apr 2020 04:52 PM PDT  Free buses, a mock wedding, hands-free taps and round-robin poetry are part of life under lockdown.
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| Virus cases, deaths rise in India's biggest slum Posted: 12 Apr 2020 06:27 AM PDT  Coronavirus cases in Mumbai's densely populated Dharavi slum -- one of Asia's biggest -- have risen to 43 including four deaths, officials said Sunday, as they ramp up testing in a race to contain its spread. Since the first virus death in early April, Indian authorities have stepped up measures to close off areas where cases have emerged in Dharavi, which is home to around a million people. Testing sites have also been set up in recent days to pick up asymptomatic carriers of the virus, Khabale-Patil said, adding that "as a result more positive cases have emerged".
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| Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins the Alaska primary by post Posted: 11 Apr 2020 08:51 PM PDT  Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has been declared the winner of the Alaska primary after the state shifted to postal voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state's ballots were sent out before Mr Biden's rival Bernie Sanders pulled out of the race last week, meaning the Vermont senator also took a proportion of the vote.
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| A 'nightmare' scenario on the rise with coronavirus: Dying alone Posted: 11 Apr 2020 02:44 AM PDT  Deborah Mastromano's mom was alone in a Long Island nursing home, cut off from visitors. All Mastromano wanted was to hold her hand before she died.
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| Police in Kentucky recorded the license plates of 50 people who broke social distancing to attend an Easter Sunday service Posted: 12 Apr 2020 01:46 PM PDT  The churchgoers were also given notices to participate in a mandated 14-day self-quarantine for violating social distancing measures.
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| 100 more sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus, making up 75% of the Navy's total cases worldwide Posted: 11 Apr 2020 11:54 AM PDT  A total of 550 cases have now been linked to the ship, which is harbored in Guam with sailors being taken ashore.
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| At least 3 dead in Mississippi as Easter Sunday tornadoes hit the South; more storms forecast for Monday in the East Posted: 12 Apr 2020 04:47 PM PDT  The National Weather Service reported tornadoes over northwest and north central Louisiana. The severe weather will move into the East on Monday.
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| Saudi Arabia extends coronavirus curfew, UAE warns on worker repatriation Posted: 11 Apr 2020 03:51 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia indefinitely extended a curfew due to the coronavirus on Sunday amid a surge of new infections, and the United Arab Emirates warned of possible action against countries refusing to allow migrant workers to be repatriated. Since placing the capital Riyadh and other big cities under 24-hour curfew on Monday, Saudi Arabia has reported more than 300 new cases per day. For both this and the 24-hour curfew, residents may go out only for essential needs.
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| 20,000: US death toll overtakes Italy's as Midwest braces Posted: 10 Apr 2020 10:09 PM PDT  The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed Italy's for the highest in the world Saturday, surpassing 20,000, as Chicago and other cities across the Midwest braced for a potential surge in victims and moved to snuff out smoldering hot spots of contagion before they erupt. Chicago's Cook County has set up a temporary morgue that can take more than 2,000 bodies.
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| Joe Biden’s ‘Return to Normalcy’ Campaign Has Echoes of 1920 Posted: 11 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- A politically inexperienced and highly divisive president, a presidential campaign waged under the shadow of a deadly pandemic, and an establishment candidate from the opposing party who promises to restore the country to a less turbulent time.Those were the elements of the U.S. presidential election exactly 100 years ago that swept Warren G. Harding into office. The similarities to the 2020 race and Joe Biden's quest to unseat Donald Trump in November are unmissable."I've been thinking about the parallels for a couple of months," said Jim Robenalt, author of a book on Harding. "The coronavirus just added another layer."To the extent that he's remembered today, Harding is best known for the Teapot Dome scandal, lusty letters to his mistress, and dying in office just two years after his inauguration.But his campaign slogan -- "Return to Normalcy" -- could just as well have been adopted by Biden, the former vice president, who often says he'll return the U.S. to the way White Houses operated before the "aberrant" Trump presidency.Exhausted PopulaceJust as Biden is known for the occasional malapropism, Harding was mocked for the supposedly ungrammatical construction of his slogan. But the word "normalcy" conveyed what many voters were looking for after the exhaustion of World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, and the abrasive political style of President Woodrow Wilson.A newspaper publisher from Ohio who went on to serve in the U.S. Senate -- another parallel with Biden -- Harding won at the Republican convention on the 10th ballot after none of the leading candidates could put together a majority. In his best-known campaign speech, he promised restoration, not revolution."America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate," he said.That promise marked a contrast with Wilson, who was the real target of Harding's rhetoric even though he wasn't running for re-election in 1920.A former academic who'd spent just two years as governor of New Jersey before winning the 1912 election, Wilson is remembered for his efforts to reshape American foreign policy.Wilson's ArroganceBut at the time, many Americans disagreed with his goals as well as his approach.Robenalt said Wilson "had to be the smartest guy in every room" and didn't work well with Congress, leaving key senators behind as he negotiated the end to World War I in France. That gave an opening to Harding, who pledged to heal the partisan divide in the country."Wilson picked fights with people," Robenalt said. "His arrogance would not let him compromise with anybody. He was a fighter and not a consensus builder, and Harding was just the opposite."The similarities between then and now even extend to the modalities of the campaign, in practice if not preference. Harding ran a typical-for-the-time "front-porch campaign," where he mostly stayed at home, giving press interviews and meeting other politicians and high-profile guests like singer Al Jolson.At-Home CampaignBiden, who prefers to be out meeting voters, is currently confined to his house in Delaware because of the coronavirus pandemic and widespread stay-at-home directives. He's had to give up rallies and whistle-stop campaigning in favor of remote interviews with TV news reporters and the likes of late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.Harding's campaign came not long after the end of the Spanish flu pandemic, which killed at least 500,000 Americans from 1918 to 1919. More than 18,000 Americans have died in the current pandemic, still in its early stages, with the White House projecting tens of thousands more may perish.Catharine Arnold, author of "Pandemic 1918," said the Spanish flu paled in the public imagination compared to the horrors of World War I, but the combination of the war and the pandemic may have had a similar effect to the coronavirus today."For most of us, this is the most life-threatening thing that we have experienced," Arnold said. "That's why the pandemic stands out so much."Harding won the 1920 election, defeating Democrat James Cox, who at the time was the governor of Ohio, in a landslide.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Cuba, U.S. dispute embargo's role in blocking coronavirus supplies Posted: 11 Apr 2020 07:27 AM PDT  The embargo is "the main obstacle to purchase the medicines, equipment and material required to confront the pandemic," Cuba's Foreign Minister tweeted.
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| Coronavirus: Fauci says US 'could have saved lives' with earlier action Posted: 12 Apr 2020 02:31 PM PDT  Experts called for social distancing in February but there was "pushback", a top health official says.
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| All but three people who died from COVID-19 in a major US city were black Posted: 12 Apr 2020 01:40 PM PDT  Emerging data has laid bare the glaring racial disparities and social inequities faced by those heavily impacted by COVID-19.
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| Empty churches and the empty tomb Posted: 12 Apr 2020 03:30 AM PDT  One year ago on Monday, hundreds of millions of people the world round reacted with horror to images of the cathedral church of Our Lady of Paris burning. She did not collapse, as some feared she would. But it was announced with regret that throughout Holy Week and on Easter Sunday, Notre Dame would be empty for the first time since the days of the Revolution.Now nearly all of our churches appear empty. I say "appear" because in many of them there will in fact be priests offering the one acceptable sacrifice, in union with the angels and saints. But it is almost certainly the case that fewer people will attend Mass on Sunday than on any Easter in more than a thousand years.It is difficult to say exactly when the present reality no longer seemed shocking. I cannot be the only person who feels as if the last few months have been mostly indistinguishable. In January and February, a single day did not pass upon which all five members of our family were in good health. Then on my birthday, February 22, our daughter, Winifred Flosshilde, was stillborn. On Ash Wednesday she received Catholic burial at the diocesan cemetery. The following Sunday my wife was still recovering from Winifred's delivery and we did not attend Mass. The next week we entered our parish church and found it somewhat barer than usual; the following Sunday, by which time the obligation to attend Mass had been waived in our diocese, the church looked only somewhat emptier. Our bishop was the last in the United States to suspend public Masses. After that, the church doors remained unlocked. Opening them in order to confess my sins was an experience I shall never forget: a handful of masked women and teenagers hiding in corners like suspicious criminals, all of us praying before the exposed Body of Christ. Beneath the statue of St. Joseph, a handmade system of green and red light bulbs indicated whether the adjacent storage room was empty for the next penitent. It was of a piece with empty streets and empty parks, miserable weather, an atmosphere of relentless dread that many of us will no doubt refer to as "the long Lent." These have been the strangest and most miserable three months of my life.Why then do I now find myself resisting the urge to be giddy? I am tempted to say it is because I know that sooner or later all of this will come to an end, that out of the darkness we will emerge with our own candles, from the digital cold to the warmth of human affection and communion. But the eventual end of the pandemic and the return of normal human social relations, including the resumed public celebration of Mass, is only a proximate cause. The joy I find building in myself, quietly but undeniably, transcends the gloom of recent days.It does not, however, transcend bodies. The significance of this fact cannot be overstated. It is the supreme truth of the Christian religion that our faith is grounded not in anagogic speculations but in the reality of flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of a victim who won a victory, total and final, over the forces of sin and darkness, a human sacrifice who was Himself a sacrificing high priest, a non-citizen peasant who was king of all worlds.Christianity is not a matter of privately affirming certain propositions. The Church is herself a society, both natural and supernatural, a society of human believers whose shared joy is the affirmation of a truth. This truth is, reduced to its barest essence, that a certain body which ought to have been in a tomb was sought and found elsewhere. What this meant was a riddle to which only a few clever women guessed the answer immediately.We too must stand, like St. Mary Magdalene and her companions, before an emptiness and see beyond it a great light and a body, one both like and radically unlike that for which they had been seeking. This is the Resurrection, the hope of Easter, which must be commemorated with empty churches in spite of, nay because of, the fact that it is founded upon the realization that emptiness means not an absence but the presence of something for which we have longed without knowing it our entire lives.More stories from theweek.com 5 radically funny cartoons about the end of Bernie 2020 Coronavirus and the mystery of St. Mark's Easter story Sting, Jimmy Fallon, and the Roots perform 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' remotely, creatively
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| Seen everywhere in last U.S. crisis, moral hazard is nowhere in this one Posted: 12 Apr 2020 05:15 AM PDT  As the U.S. Federal Reserve rolls out trillions of dollars to blunt the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, there's a notable difference to the last financial crisis: close to zero concern over "moral hazard" - the sticky business of bailing out those whose dilemma is of their own making. Back in 2007-2009, policymakers voiced repeated concern that bailing out banks and financial markets more generally would reward them for having taken imprudent risks. The Fed also faced a political backlash from its congressional overseers for what some saw as extending its reach into the fiscal sphere and, in effect, picking and choosing winners and losers.
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| Amid pandemic, Christians celebrate an Easter like no other Posted: 11 Apr 2020 11:51 PM PDT  Christians around the world celebrated Easter Sunday isolated in their homes by the coronavirus while pastors preached the faith's joyous news of Christ's resurrection to empty pews. One Florida church drew a large turnout for a drive-in service in a parking lot. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the first major world leader to test positive for the virus, paid an emotional tribute to the country's National Health Service following his release from the hospital, saying its doctors and nurses had saved his life "no question."
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| Largest Arctic ozone hole ever recorded opens up over the North Pole Posted: 11 Apr 2020 01:09 PM PDT  A hole in the ozone opens up every year above Antarctica — but scientists were surprised to find one on the other side of the planet.
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| Lawyer says Assange fathered two kids with her while in Ecuador embassy Posted: 11 Apr 2020 05:19 PM PDT  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with one of his lawyers while holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London for much of the past decade, according to a report Sunday confirmed by the mother. The 48-year-old Australian is the dad of two boys, aged two and one, with lawyer Stella Morris, to whom he is engaged, she confirmed following a Mail on Sunday report. Assange is currently being held in London's high security Belmarsh prison as he fights an extradition request by the United States to stand trial there on espionage charges.
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| Stocks Begin Week With Declines; Crude Oil Rises: Markets Wrap Posted: 12 Apr 2020 05:21 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Global stocks started the week on the back foot as investors readied for the start of earnings season amid unprecedented uncertainty over the corporate impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Oil prices climbed in volatile trading after a historic deal to cut output.U.S. equity futures declined in early Asia trading, while shares retreated in Japan and South Korea. Many markets remained closed for the Easter holiday. The dollar dipped after OPEC+ agreed to cut 9.7 million barrels a day from global crude output -- just below the initial plan of 10 million. The yen ticked higher and Australian dollar slipped. Treasuries were little changed. The euro steadied after France, Germany, Italy and Spain reported a slowdown in new coronavirus cases. With earnings season kicking off in earnest this week, investors will be hoping to get a better sense of how bad the hit to global profits could be as the coronavirus upends the world's economies. Uncertainty is high as to what the coming months will bring with companies having a hard time grasping the situation and predicting the short-term future.Meanwhile, without an effective therapy or a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, the U.S. economy could face 18 months of rolling shutdowns as the outbreak recedes and flares up again, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said.In focus this week:U.S. banks and financial firms begin reporting first-quarter earnings, led by JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo.Bank Indonesia rate decision and briefing Tuesday.South Korea holds parliamentary elections and Bank of Canada has a rate decision Wednesday.Also Wednesday, U.S. retail sales are poised to fall in March by the most ever seenChina releases GDP, industrial production, retail sales and jobless figures FridayThese are the main moves in markets:StocksS&P 500 futures fell 1.1% at 9:09 a.m. in Tokyo.Japan's Topix Index fell 0.9%.Korea's Kospi Index slipped 0.5%.CurrenciesThe yen rose 0.1% to 108.33 per dollar.The offshore yuan traded at 7.0507 per dollar.The euro was steady at $1.0935.BondsThe yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 0.72%.CommoditiesWest Texas Intermediate crude rose 3.6% to $23.58 a barrel.Gold fell 0.2% to $1,692 an ounce.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Your Mask May Not Be Enough if COVID-19 Is in the Air Posted: 11 Apr 2020 01:47 AM PDT  When Donald Trump suggested people besides himself wear cloth masks in public last week, it reignited a festering debate about whether the 2019 novel coronavirus is airborne. For months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took the same position that the World Health Organization (WHO) currently has—that masks for healthy people aren't necessary, as long as they practice social distancing and stay at least six feet away from each other. The agencies have maintained that the virus is transmitted by either direct contact with an infected person, fomites—an infected surface like a door handle—or from droplets that are produced when someone coughs or sneezes. But there's mounting evidence that transmission may occur via aerosols, or viral particles produced during exhalation by way of talking, breathing, singing, and even outdoor exercise. And, some experts and critics of the new CDC guidelines say, there's little evidence that cloth masks offer much protection from that terrifying possibility.Nebraska Getting $300G in Federal Money for Each Coronavirus Case While NY Gets $12GPerhaps most notoriously, 45 of the 60 members of a choir group in Washington—none of whom say they shook hands or had physical contact with the other members—tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Experts hypothesized that the forceful exhalation of air from singing released enough viral particles to infect a majority of the singers. A study last month from the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that particles containing traces of the virus' RNA were found on windowsills and ventilation grates in the rooms of patients with relatively mild symptoms—i.e. likely not consistently producing a lot of droplets through coughing, sneezing, etc.Aerosolized particles are primarily a concern in enclosed spaces, with the most significant implications for health-care workers who perform procedures like intubation that produce "lots and lots of small particles," according to Dr. Lisa Brosseau, an expert on respiratory protection and infectious diseases who taught at the University of Illinois. "But even just being in an enclosed space with a lot of infected patients is going to expose [a health-care worker] to a high concentration of particles," she told The Daily Beast. The University of Nebraska researchers who found traces of the virus around the rooms of COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms are in the final stages of a study to determine if "live" virus (virus with the ability to infect someone) can be found in the air. But given how transmissible the virus is, according to Brosseau, it seems likely. "I'm skeptical that this is all contact or droplet transmission and no inhalation of small particles unto the lower respiratory system," she said." It just seems unlikely that we're getting so much transmission if that's the only way." Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California-San Francisco's School of Medicine, disagrees. "If this was aerosolized, you would have seen 1.4 billion people infected in China," he told The Daily Beast. When University of Nebraska Medical Center's follow-up study is published, Rutherford said, he doubts they'll have found live virus in any of the samples. "What they found was the fingerprint of the virus, not the actual virus. It's like if you were in a room and left a piece of your hair behind. It doesn't mean you're still in the room." What a person exhales, Rutherford argued, are droplets. They might be much smaller than the droplets produced by a sneeze, but they don't meet the specific definition of "aerosol" as it pertains to public health. For a virus to be aerosolized by the technical definition, it has to be smaller than 5 microns in diameter and be able to travel more than two meters away from the infected patient. Which is to say that what happened with the choir in Washington, for instance, could technically be the result of droplet transmission. The reality of how the public will interpret transmission is obviously more complicated. If you're told you can go to choir practice as long as you practice social distancing and don't have any physical contact with your fellow singers, becoming infected simply thanks to the exhalation of others is going to seem a lot like airborne transmission.But "the paradigm of droplet and airborne transmission just isn't accurate," Brosseau argued. It gives people the impression that transmission is binary—the virus is either transmitted through droplets or through the air. Realistically, it's more of a spectrum, where on one end you have highly contagious viruses that can survive in the air for a significant period of time, and less contagious viruses that don't survive well in the air on the other end. The sentiment was echoed by Dr. Joshua Santarpia, lead researcher on the University of Nebraska Medical Center study. "There are no hard lines, no magic," he told The Daily Beast. "Five microns isn't magic, even though that's kind of the way it's treated." Instead of droplet or airborne transmission, Brosseau added, we should be thinking about the size and concentration of viral particles. When we talk, breathe, cough, or sneeze, we're producing particles. Some of those particles may be droplets and others may be aerosolized. If you're infected with a virus, it's very possible virus will be inside the particles you produce—a 2018 study of students with influenza found that 39 percent of sampled fine aerosols contained infectious virus. The size and concentration of these particles will differ depending on if they were produced by a cough or an exhaled breath, but the underlying principle is the same. Large particles will fall to the floor relatively quickly; small particles will travel further. Small particles don't necessarily have a smaller "viral load"—a term Americans have become increasingly familiar with amid the pandemic—according to Brosseau."A least a couple of studies of influenza and SARS have shown that smaller particles have larger amounts of viable virus," said Brosseau. "We don't know for sure why that is but we hypothesize that smaller particles are generated from the deeper part of your lungs, where there's more infection." Those smaller particles can travel farther and are more likely to slip through protective masks. A 2017 study examining the efficacy of cloth masks in filtering five different sizes of diluted diesel particles found that cloth masks were "only marginally beneficial" in filtering all but the largest of the five particle sizes. Small particles are particularly concerning with the novel coronavirus, Brosseau said, because "they're inhalable into the deep lung, and we know pneumonia in the deep lung is where the worst damage is being done." So what does this mean for the use of cloth masks? "If an infected person wearing a cloth mask coughs, there's some possibility the mask could block the lateral projection of large particles," Brosseau said. "But it's not going to do much of anything for those smaller particles." For that reason, she disagrees with the CDC's new guidance. "I don't think it should be a blanket recommendation," she said. "It gives people a false sense of security and encourages them to stop isolating, which is really the only thing that's going to work."Rutherford agrees social distancing is essential, and that cloth masks don't provide the same kind of barrier as someone wearing a perfectly fitting N95 mask. But, he argued, "Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good." A 2013 influenza study supported his conclusion, finding that cloth masks should "be used as a last resort" but are "better than no protection."On Wednesday, the CDC issued additional new guidelines for essential workers who have potentially been exposed to COVID-19. (The CDC defines potentially exposed as "having close contact within six feet of an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.") The guidelines state that as long as the employee is asymptomatic, practices social distancing, regularly disinfects surfaces, and wears a mask for 14 days after exposure, they can return to work. This despite preemptive, harrowing warnings from experts, and an emerging consensus that many people are asymptomatic and still able to transmit the virus. When contacted for comment by The Daily Beast, Martha Sharan, a spokesperson for the CDC, stressed that the latest guidelines were for essential workers. She added that those employees should be "screened before entering work, monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms, wear a face cloth, and continue to social distance." Regarding the effectiveness of cloth masks, Sharan directed The Daily Beast to this study, which concludes, "a hand-fashioned mask can provide a good fit and a measurable level of protection from a challenge aerosol. Problems remain."Trump Gives Bizarre Response on Lifting Coronavirus LockdownAnd when it came to whether COVID-19 might be effectively airborne in general, Sharna wrote, "The contribution of aerosolized particles to close proximity transmission is currently uncertain. However, airborne transmission from person-to-person over long distances is unlikely."But the risk of viral particles in the air is why one New York physician, who asked that he not be identified for fear of professional retaliation, has been begging administrators at his hospital for better protection. While N95 masks filter the majority of particles, he said, he believes it's unlikely that even those masks can filter such high concentrations of small particles (in fact, the "95" in N95 means that when the mask is fitted properly, "the respirator blocks at least 95 percent of very small particles.") "I've been raising the alarm about this for over a month," he said. "We need COVID patients isolated in negative pressure rooms [a room that lowers air pressure to keep air from escaping] and positive pressure hoods [typically hoods or full face masks that purified air is pumped into to protect the wearer from contaminated air]." Brosseau agrees. "The goal is to break the pathway from the infected person to the health-care worker," she said. "People always ask me, 'What type of respirator should I be wearing?' My answer is always, 'Well, have you put a good ventilation system in the room? You want to prevent the hospital worker from being stuck in contaminated air.'"Still, with so many COVID-19 patients and so few resources, N95 masks are health-care workers' best, most realistic bet—when they can get them. As for the general public, Brosseau said it's fine if wearing a cloth mask makes people feel more comfortable, as long as they understand that such masks haven't been proven to be very effective at filtering those small particles. "It makes me cringe to think of the Surgeon General on video showing people how to make a cloth mask when [their effectiveness] is so unproven," she said. "Social distancing, social distancing, social distancing. Right now, that's the only way we're going to stop the spread of this virus." Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| 3M is suing a company accused of trying to re-sell fake N95 masks at a 600% markup Posted: 12 Apr 2020 06:46 AM PDT  In a lawsuit filed in federal court, 3M accused a company of fraudulently presenting itself as an official re-seller of N95 masks to New York officials.
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| 'God will shield us from all harm and sickness:' Louisiana pastor expects 2,000 to attend his Easter service Posted: 11 Apr 2020 12:44 PM PDT  Rev. Tony Spell announced he would hold his largest in-person church service as Louisiana reported an increase of 970 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours.
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| U.S. commander in Afghanistan and Taliban discuss violence reduction in Doha meeting Posted: 11 Apr 2020 01:46 AM PDT  The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan met Taliban leadership in Doha to discuss the need to reduce violence in the war-torn country, spokesmen for both sides said on Saturday, as continued clashes threaten to derail a fragile peace process. The meeting between Taliban leaders and General Scott Miller, commander of U.S. forces and the NATO-led non-combat Resolution Support mission in Afghanistan, took place on Friday night. "General Miller met with Taliban leadership last night as part of the military channel established in the agreement," a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan told Reuters.
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| Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and wife to get divorced Posted: 11 Apr 2020 08:39 AM PDT  Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and his wife, Sheena Greitens, are divorcing, the couple announced on social media Saturday, nearly two years after Greitens resigned amid accusations that he took a compromising photo of a woman without her consent during a 2015 extramarital affair. Greitens was a rising Republican star after his 2016 election — a charismatic former Navy SEAL officer and Rhodes Scholar with presidential ambitions.
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| Were we mislead by the W.H.O and China? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 03:28 PM PDT  Dr. Fauci joins Jesse Watters to discuss the World Health Organization and China's handling of COVID-19 information.
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| North Korea calls for stronger coronavirus measures Posted: 11 Apr 2020 07:44 PM PDT  North Korea called for stronger measures against the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic at a meeting presided by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Sunday, without acknowledging whether the country had reported any infections. Officials in Pyongyang and its state media have repeatedly insisted that the North remains totally free of the virus, but Sunday's report did not make that assertion. The coronavirus epidemic -- which has infected more than 1.7 million worldwide -- had become "a great disaster threatening the whole mankind, regardless of borders and continents", the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
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| Cuomo: Coronavirus deaths are stabilizing at a "horrific rate" Posted: 11 Apr 2020 11:20 AM PDT  "I'm sure everyone's living with the same question: Every time you wake up you say, 'When does this nightmare end?'" Cuomo said.
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| Record deal to cut oil output ends price war Posted: 12 Apr 2020 02:42 PM PDT  Oil producing nations agree a deal that will see output reduced by nearly 10 million barrels a day.
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| Spain to keep social distancing on beaches to fight virus Posted: 12 Apr 2020 04:13 AM PDT  Spain, one of Europe's top sunshine destinations, said Sunday it will maintain social distancing rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus once a nationwide lockdown ends, even on the beaches. The government on March 14 imposed a strict nationwide lockdown to fight the pandemic, and two days later it closed its land borders, with only Spanish citizens and residents able to enter the country. In an interview published Sunday in top-selling daily newspaper El Pais, Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said the government did not know when the borders would be reopened, saying it will depend on how "the health crisis evolves".
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| More than 370,000 people have recovered from COVID-19. Here's what we know about coronavirus survivors. Posted: 11 Apr 2020 04:26 AM PDT  Recovered COVID-19 patients may have residual cough or fatigue for weeks after the major symptoms disappear, and some could have lasting lung damage.
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| Kentucky gov. announces mandatory quarantine for anyone who attends Easter services Posted: 10 Apr 2020 08:08 PM PDT  The Democratic governor said that state officials would record the license plate information of people seen attending mass gatherings.
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| Netanyahu rival Gantz seeks more time to form coalition government Posted: 11 Apr 2020 01:08 PM PDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election rival Benny Gantz asked for additional time on Saturday to try to form a government with the long-time leader, to end more than a year of political deadlock. Gantz, an ex-armed forces chief who heads the centrist Blue and White party, asked President Reuven Rivlin for a 14-day extension to the mandate. Gantz had run on a promise not to serve in a government with Netanyahu, citing the prime minister's indictment on corruption charges.
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