| Trump says the measure of his success against coronavirus will be the final death toll. How's he doing? Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:41 PM PDT  For the past several weeks, a fixture of President Trump's daily coronavirus task force press briefings has been his insistence that the ultimate measure of his administration's handling of the pandemic will be the number of Americans killed by COVID-19.
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| The mayor of Las Vegas wants to open casinos and let the number of infections determine which of them have to close Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:44 AM PDT  Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has a bizarre idea about how to get casinos up and running during the pandemic.
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| Asia virus latest: China sued by US state; northeast China tightens curbs Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:27 AM PDT  The US state of Missouri has sued China's leadership over the coronavirus crisis, prompting an angry rebuke from Beijing over the "absurd" claim. Missouri is seeking damages over what it described as deliberate deception and insufficient action to stop the pandemic. New clusters of coronavirus infections in northeast China near the Russian border led officials to tighten restrictions on movement as they seek to prevent another outbreak.
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| Anti-Vaxxers and Lockdown Protesters Form an Unholy Alliance Posted: 22 Apr 2020 01:42 AM PDT  Protests against social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines in states across the country have become fertile ground for anti-vaccine activists, foreshadowing future showdowns over government-led efforts to help bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic.Del Bigtree, a notorious anti-vaccination activist before the emergence of COVID-19, attended a reopening rally in Austin last weekend to find out why the protesters were showing up. Bigtree told The Daily Beast that he saw a lot of overlap between anti-vaccine activists who distrust vaccines and the rally-goers, who were complaining that the public health policies put in place by state governments are unconstitutional and draconian relative to the health crisis at hand."I think the science is falling apart," Bigtree said, citing models he called "a disaster." On April 17, Bigtree featured Wendy Darling, founder of anti-stay-at-home-order group "Michigan United for Liberty" and an attendee of one of the Michigan protests, on his online show The High Wire, which usually dedicates programming to questioning health professionals and settled science. Asked by Bigtree whether the demonstrations showed that at least some Michiganders "are not afraid of dying from the coronavirus," Darling said: "In our group, in particular, we've got thousands of people in Michigan United for Liberty and the consensus there is, you know, we are not. We're more afraid of the government than we are of the virus at this point." Trump Calls Rule-Breaking Coronavirus Protesters 'Very Responsible People'Bigtree isn't the only drawing connections between the anti-vaccine movement—which advocates for the fallacious notion that vaccines cause autism or other ailments—and the movements against the stay-at-home orders. Anti-vaccine activists have pushed a hashtag calling for President Donald Trump to fire the government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci—a message that evolved into a "Fire Fauci" chant at the Texas rally Bigtree attended. Some participants in the reopening rallies have also adopted "I Do Not Consent" as their go-to sign formulation, which is the same language that's become a popular phrase for anti-vaccination activists. "That's one of their biggest slogans," said Amy Pisani, the executive director of pro-vaccine group Vaccinate Your Family. The predominantly right-wing activists calling for states to reopen businesses amid the pandemic have also criticized vaccines in their online communities. On "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine," a Facebook group with more than 350,000 members that has become a hotbed for anti-social distancing protests in the state, thousands of members said they wouldn't take any future vaccine. Some posters pushed conspiracy theories that the vaccine would be the "mark of the Beast" or a tracking device used by billionaire Bill Gates. A user in "Reopen Missouri," another Facebook group devoted to rapidly reopening businesses, made a popular post that included a vow to never take any future coronavirus vaccine. "I refuse to receive said vaccine to make others feel more safe," it read. "I won't set myself—or my children—on fire to keep you warm."Facebook Axed Pro-Vaccine Ads, Let Anti-Vaxxer Conspiracies Slip ThroughThe possibility of anti-vaccine advocates gaining a foothold in the protests against public safety laws could portend even dicier problems for government agencies ahead. Health officials have said that a vaccine for coronavirus is one of, if not the, surest ways to emerge through the crisis and return to a semblance of social normalcy. But that depends on wide-scale cultural acceptance of the vaccination—which optimistically could be 18 months away from production—and the coronavirus pandemic has drawn more online interest to anti-vaccine causes. Jackie Schlegal, the founder of well-funded anti-vaccine group Texans for Vaccine Choice, claims that her group has received an "overwhelming influx of support" and a load of traffic from people concerned about coronavirus vaccine exemptions. The anti-vaccine language used by the reopening activists marks the latest confluence between anti-vaccine activists and anti-government groups, who have teamed up in the past to fight vaccine mandates, according to Pisani. "It's not new that these libertarians and ultra-anti-government individuals have been working together with anti-vaccine activists in recent years," she said. Much of the rhetoric at the reopening rallies mirrors the language of anti-vaccine activists, according to Professor Jennifer Reich, a University of Colorado Denver sociologist who has studied why parents don't vaccinate their children. According to Reich's research, the rise in non-vaccinations among children has come as a result of two trends: pressure on parents to research every detail of the choices available to their children; and the idea that individuals, not public health experts or doctors, are best positioned to handle their own health decisions. "We've perfectly set the stage for parents not to trust vaccines," Reich said. Now those same trends are coming into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reich. Just as anti-vaccine parents claim they can best handle the decision to vaccinate their children, anti-social distancing protesters have vowed to judge the risks of walking around in public, not wearing masks, or not taking any vaccine themselves. "A lot of their rhetoric is really about individual self management, and that they want to be in control of mitigating their own risk," Reich said of the rally goers. Reich fears that the demands for public health officials to move expeditiously in finding a solution to coronavirus could only feed skepticism of vaccines, as the skeptics will point to shortened clinical trials to cast doubt about its safety or efficacy. Already anti-vaccine activists like Bigtree are questioning the coronavirus vaccine process. "It's going to affirm the worst fears of those who already distrust the vaccine system," Reich said. For Pisani, the head of the pro-vaccine group, the coronavirus pandemic represents a crucial point for the ongoing fight pitting pro-vaccine forces and health experts against anti-vaccine groups. The pandemic could ramp up skepticism about government health advice, giving anti-vaccine activists a broader platform. But at the same time, the general public has never been so interested in vaccines and virology in recent memory, or more desperate for a vaccine. "I just can't understand if they had an elderly family member and there was a vaccine — they wouldn't want to give the vaccine to that person?" Pisani said. "It's unbelievable."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| Israeli forces kill Palestinian attacker near Jerusalem: police Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:33 PM PDT |
| Coronavirus: US health official warns of dangerous second wave Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:07 AM PDT  The top US health official warns a fresh outbreak could coincide with the flu season.
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| Factories Tip-Toe Back After India Partially Lifts Lockdown Posted: 20 Apr 2020 10:10 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- India's industrialists are tentatively reopening their factories, as the government eases the world's biggest lockdown to revive an economy that was slowing even before the coronavirus outbreak.Ajit Gupta, managing director of Ajit Industries Pvt., spent most of Monday supervising sanitization of his factory near the border of Delhi, which produces adhesive tapes used to insulate electric wires, package goods, or protect fridges and other electronics during transport. Printed signs at the gate urged staff to stay at least three feet from each other at all times and workers were hosed down with disinfectant after masked security guards took their temperature with thermal guns and handed out bottles of hand sanitizers. If even one employee tests positive for Covid-19, law mandates that the entire factory be shut for months."It's very risky for us to restart business," Gupta, 55, said by phone. "But the first quarter of this financial year will be washed out anyway and if the situation continues for a longer time, we may have to close down some operations."Following Monday's partial lifting of the lockdown, Nomura Holdings Inc. estimates as much as 60% of India's economy can now be open, but not before shrinking output by 0.4% for the year started April 1 compared with growth of 4.6% the previous year. One industry body predict labor shortages could last for as long as six months and as many as 40 million people may lose their jobs by September."India's decision to partly relax the lockdown highlights the growing trade-off faced by developing countries of the economic costs of a lockdown versus health," Nomura economists led by Sonal Varma wrote in a note. "Policies will need to be nimble because infection rates could resurge."Rural ExemptionsIndia has 17,615 confirmed cases, including 559 deaths. In an attempt to contain the outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi doubled the duration of the initial 21-day lockdown but allowed farmers and certain industries outside virus hotspots to resume operations from Monday.Companies that wish to restart however need to first get approval from local authorities, which is a tough task, according to Amritanshu Khaitan, managing director at Eveready Industries Ltd., the country's biggest maker of flashlights and batteries. "Wherever we have got approvals, we are working with skeletal staff," he said by phone.The current fiscal year will also be a "litmus test" for Indian shadow lenders that depend on financial technology, according to the local unit of Fitch Ratings.It estimates that such firms have total outstanding debt of about 30 billion rupees ($392 million), of which half is funded by banks and other lenders that may now hold back refinance. So-called non-bank financiers were allowed to resume operations in Mumbai on Monday, joining traditional banks that continued to function during the lockdown as they were classified as essential services.'Tough Situation'"Immediate liquidity relief" from banks is a priority for Jindal Stainless Ltd., said managing director Abhyuday Jindal. India's biggest stainless steel producer plans to gradually restart both its factories located in the states of Haryana and Odisha after it deals with issues including supply chain disruptions, congestion at ports and a labor shortage.Companies in the petroleum industry, including Indian Oil Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp., resumed work on projects worth 2 trillion rupees following relaxation of the lockdown, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a Twitter post. About 511 projects such as refinery, exploration and production, marketing and infrastructure, pipelines and city gas distribution have kick-started operations. Most of India's automobile and phone manufacturers remained shut on Monday and will reopen later.Indranil Pan, chief economist at IDFC First Bank Ltd., said firms will struggle to ramp up production to pre-lockdown levels. It's very likely these companies, especially smaller units that employ the bulk of India's workforce, will be forced to slash their staff, he said.Risks also loom for Gupta, whose revenue was lower than target last financial year as India's economy began slowing. He's concerned about the future of his 500 employees, about 150 of whom were expected to turn up on Monday, some with pay cuts. Only about 75 showed up."It is a tough situation for us," he said.(Updates on oil sector in 11th paragraph)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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| Beijing names islands in disputed South China Sea Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:45 AM PDT  China on Tuesday defended its naming of 80 islands and other geographical features in the South China Sea in a move likely to anger neighbours as the country asserts its territorial claims. A joint announcement of the names on Sunday from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Civil Affairs came a day after China established new administrative districts for the contested Spratly and Paracel island chains. China last released such a list in 1983 when it named 287 geographical features across the disputed waterway.
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| Trump has narrow lead in key swing states despite voters' frustrations with coronavirus response Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:12 AM PDT  Even as some polls show a majority of Americans are not satisfied with Donald Trump's coronavirus response, the president remains in a dead heat with his apparent Democratic challenger in a handful of key swing states.In fact, in six battleground states that political experts say will decide November's election, Mr Trump leads former Vice President Joe Biden. Though the lead is narrow, just a single point, it shows that voters are not ready to oust Mr Trump from the White House even as over 45,000 Americans have died from a virus about which the incumbent was warned was headed to the United States early this year.
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| Almost 25,000 email addresses and passwords reportedly for groups like WHO and the Gates Foundation were dumped on the internet Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:55 PM PDT  Cybersecurity expert Robert Potter told The Washington Post that WHO's password system was "appalling" — saying 48 people had "password" as their password.
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| Coronavirus response puts EU solidarity to the test Posted: 22 Apr 2020 01:55 PM PDT |
| Florida governor responds to #FloridaMoron backlash, defends beachgoers Posted: 22 Apr 2020 03:50 PM PDT  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday defended Floridians who went to beaches after they reopened, saying they didn't deserve the backlash they received on Twitter.Photos showed thousands of people filling the beaches over the weekend, despite the coronavirus continuing to spread across the state. People online shared the pictures, adding the hashtag FloridaMoron. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry on Monday said beachgoers were all following the rules, which allowed them to exercise but not gather in large groups or sunbathe.During his press conference, DeSantis praised Curry and "the people of Jacksonville," saying they are "doing a great job. And to those who say you're morons, I would take you over the folks who are criticizing you any day of the week and twice on Sunday." The city has done "a great job of keeping folks out of the hospital, particularly the vulnerable, and I think that they deserve credit," he added.
The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday reported 440 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases up to 28,309. The department also reported 26 new deaths, with the death toll now at 893. More than 90 percent of tests in the state are being completed by private labs, and health experts say that because it can take up to two weeks for those results to be reported by the Florida Department of Health, the state's total number of cases is likely much higher.More stories from theweek.com How close are we to herd immunity? The Navajo Nation outbreak reveals an ugly truth behind America's coronavirus experience Trump administration allegedly removed doctor developing COVID-19 vaccine for refusing to back hydroxychloroquine
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| Germany sees future need to learn lessons of corona outbreak Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:08 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to her Australian counterpart on Tuesday about the coronavirus pandemic, her spokesman said on Wednesday, adding that establishing facts about the outbreak would help to learn lessons for the future. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sought support for an international investigation into the origins and spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the response of the World Health Organization (WHO). "At an appropriate time, it will be necessary to analyse every phase of the pandemic," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.
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| Hospital reinstates suspended nurses who demanded masks Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:45 PM PDT  At least 10 nurses are heading back to the COVID-19 ward this week after being suspended for demanding protective respirator masks, the National Nurses United union said Tuesday. Last week, the Associated Press reported that nurses at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica were on administrative leave after telling their managers they wouldn't enter COVID-19 patient rooms without the masks. The N95 mask filters out 95% of all airborne particles, including ones too tiny to be blocked by regular masks.
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| China dismisses Missouri's 'absurd' virus lawsuit Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:28 AM PDT 
"Such abuse of litigation is not conducive to the epidemic response at home in the United States and also runs counter to international cooperation," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a daily briefing, adding that China's response is not under the jurisdiction of U.S. courts and it has provided updates on the outbreak to the United States since January 3. Missouri became the first U.S. state on Tuesday (April 21) to sue the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus, saying that China's response to the outbreak that originated in the city of Wuhan brought devastating economic losses to the state. The civil lawsuit filed in federal court alleges negligence, among other claims.
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| Trump Is Urged to Pressure China on Its Promise to Buy U.S. Oil Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:54 AM PDT |
| Trump tweets order to 'destroy' Iranian boats. Pentagon calls it a warning. Posted: 22 Apr 2020 12:42 PM PDT  Three U.S. defense officials said they were caught off guard by Trump's tweet because he had not ordered a change in policy.
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| Hong Kong teens charged with murder over protest death Posted: 22 Apr 2020 03:55 AM PDT  Luo Chang-qing died in November when pro-democracy supporters and government loyalists started hurling bricks at each other in the border town of Sheung Shui. Luo, 70, died from a blow to the head. Hong Kong's protests were sparked by an attempt to allow extradition to China's opaque justice system but soon morphed into a popular revolt against Beijing's rule.
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| Coronavirus news – live: Vaccine to be available as fast ‘as humanly possible’ as government announces trials to begin this week and UK hospital death toll rises to 17,337 Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:32 AM PDT  Coronavirus-related deaths now account for one-third of all deaths being reported in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics.The latest analysis comes as hospitals across Britain continue to struggle to provide the protective equipment needed to keep doctors safe amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
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| California says a person who died February 6 had COVID-19, suggesting the first US coronavirus death happened at least 3 weeks earlier than previously thought Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:14 PM PDT  The US recorded its first coronavirus death on February 28, but new data indicates at least one person died of COVID-19 three weeks prior.
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| Exclusive: Sen. Marsha Blackburn, ‘China, you had the information, you lied. You need to be held to account for this.’ Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:53 PM PDT  Senator Marsha Blackburn spoke with Fox News about the Stop COVID Act and how the legislation will allow Americans to file lawsuits against China for its role in the origin and spread of the coronavirus.
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| Vietnam to ease nationwide coronavirus lockdown Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:22 AM PDT  Vietnam, which has reported under 300 cases of coronavirus and no deaths since the first infections were detected in January, said on Wednesday it would start lifting tough movement restrictions as most of Southeast Asia remained in lockdown. No provinces in Vietnam were now seen as "highly prone" to the pandemic, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a statement, although some non-essential businesses will remain closed. Vietnam has won plaudits for appearing to contain the virus despite being less wealthy than other places seen as relatively successful such as South Korea and Taiwan.
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| Court allows Arkansas ban on surgical abortions due to virus Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:23 AM PDT |
| Can plastic face shields prevent the spread of coronavirus? Posted: 22 Apr 2020 02:09 PM PDT  Experts are split on whether plastic face shields typically worn by health care professionals should be worn in everyday life.
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| Europe’s Call-to-Arms Moment May Disappoint Investors, Again Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:52 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- A video call between European Union leaders on Thursday may fall short of giving investors clarity over how the bloc will finance economic recovery efforts, risking a prolonged paralysis that has pushed borrowing costs higher across peripheral euro-area countries.EU institutions are focusing on a proposal to boost the bloc's common budget, largely shunning demands by Italy and Spain for joint debt issuance to share the costs of cushioning a pandemic-induced recession. The plan being prepared would instead see the European Commission use the multi-annual budget to borrow from financial markets and then channel cheap loans to the worst-hit nations, according to two diplomats briefed on the ongoing preparations.The bulk of the leverage created in the so-called recovery instrument of the new EU budget would take place over the next two years and the loans would be repaid after 2027, according to one of the diplomats, who asked not to be named as negotiations are ongoing. Even though the use of the budget is a more palatable solution to countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, the plans have so far failed to sway Southern nations, which demand more solidarity and concessions from their richer peers, in the form of joint debt sales."We're pulling in the same direction as Germany, the Netherlands and other hard currency countries," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said about the upcoming summit. "We want to show solidarity, we want to support other states, but what we reject is a mutualization of debt. I hope that at the end of the day we'll have a solution that's as good as possible and that we can work on it together."Europe is entering what is projected to be the steepest recession in living memory, while the timing of recovery depends on factors largely outside the control of policymakers, such as the availability of a vaccine or an antiviral cure for the lethal coronavirus. The drop in economic output and the massive funds needed to keep businesses and households afloat has investors doubting whether highly indebted European countries can foot the bill.The Commission told EU government envoys that the bloc's economic output will contract between 7.5% and 10% this year, according to an official familiar with Monday's briefing.Bonds FallItalian bonds fell again on Tuesday, with yields on 10-year notes rising by 5 basis points to 1.99%. That's more than double the borrowing costs from mid-February, as a package of economic measures adopted so far by EU finance ministers has left loose ends to be sorted out and is seen by many economists as insufficient.One of the officials familiar with the matter said that Thursday's video call between leaders will have to be followed by others until a concrete solution is reached. Failure to come up with a convincing plan would put more pressure on the European Central Bank to boost its bond purchases to prevent spreads between German and peripheral yields from widening.A French official concurred that an agreement at Thursday's call was unlikely, and that a few more weeks of negotiations was needed. The official also said that the size of the fund would have to be around 1 trillion euros ($1.1 trillion) and that it probably wouldn't be available for at least six months.The plan to be presented on Thursday by EU institutions revolves around four pillars, according to the officials briefed: mobilizing massive investment, repairing the bloc's single market after border closures, supply chain breakdowns and export restrictions disrupted the flow of goods, global action to fight the pandemic, and better communication between Brussels and national capitals.(Updates with Austrian Chancellor comments in fourth paragraph)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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| Trump signs executive order limiting immigration Wednesday Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:23 PM PDT  Trump said the order would "pause" issuing green cards for 60 days, and the policy would then be revisited.
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| Taiwan president apologises for virus infections on navy ship Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:01 PM PDT  Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen apologised Wednesday for "major shortcomings" within the military after a cluster of coronavirus infections emerged on a navy vessel recently returned from a goodwill mission to Palau. "I am the Commander-in-Chief, the military's business is my business and my responsibility," Tsai said in a speech broadcast live.
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| Speeding car filmed flying from road and crashing into side of family home in California Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:48 AM PDT  Shocking CCTV footage has shown the dramatic moment a speeding car crashed through the wall of a family's home in California.In the video, a Toyota Camry soars from the pavement into the side of a house, and two men can be seen running away from the crash moments later.
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| Photos show how San Francisco emerged from a lockdown too soon during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, leading to an even deadlier second wave that rampaged through the city Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:23 PM PDT  The city went from a national role model to one of the worst-hit cities after lifting shutdown orders prematurely, resulting in over 45,000 cases.
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| How to identify and remove a skin tag Posted: 22 Apr 2020 01:58 PM PDT  Skin tags are benign skin growths that you may find annoying and unsightly. Though you don't have to remove a skin tag, a doctor can get rid of it.
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| Coronavirus outbreak in Philippines jail sees 123 inmates infected Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:26 AM PDT  A prison in the Philippines is suffering from a major outbreak of the new coronavirus with 123 infected inmates, officials said on Wednesday, adding to concerns among activists about contagion risks in some of the world's most overcrowded jails. The mayor of Cebu City said a new building in the prison capable of handling 3,000 people would be used as an isolation facility to contain an outbreak that accounts for 40% of cases in the Philippines' second biggest city. Eighteen cases have been found at a jail in Manila's Quezon City, among them nine members of staff, and media has reported infections at other facilities.
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| Argentina doesn't make payment, starting default countdown Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:52 PM PDT  Argentina said it didn't make $500 million in debt payments due Wednesday, starting a 30-day countdown to a possible default unless the government and bondholders can reach a deal on restructuring its massive foreign debt. The failure to pay came a week after the government of President Alberto Fernández presented a proposal to restructure roughly $70 billion in debt involving the suspension of its debt obligations for three years and a 62% reduction for interest payments. Argentina will use the period to seek creditor acceptance of its proposal, which it has said will remain in force until May 8 and aims at "restoring the sustainability of public debt in foreign currency."
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| Germany’s New Virus Cases Near 3-Week Low as Restrictions Eased Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:29 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The number of new coronavirus cases in Germany stayed close to a three-week low as the country begins gradually lifting pandemic-related lockdown measures.There were 1,388 new cases in the 24 hours through Wednesday morning, bringing the total to 148,453, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Fatalities rose by 224, the most in four days, to 5,086. The death rate is now at 3.4%, while the number of people who have recovered rose to almost 100,000, the most of any nation.Governments across Europe have started taking initial steps toward reopening their economies, with Germany among the first to cautiously revive business activity this week. Smaller shops can start serving customers again, and schools will gradually reopen with some students taking exams allowed to return.Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that too hasty an easing may prompt a second outbreak that requires further measures to contain transmission. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday that it's too early to decide on relaxing travel restrictions, and Munich canceled the Oktoberfest beer festival for the first time since World War II."We are living in different times, and living with corona means living carefully," Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder said.Merkel has identified the reproduction factor -- known by epidemiologists as R-naught -- as a means of gauging how successfully countries have kept the virus in check and how much stress it could place on health services.Germany's R0 was unchanged at 0.9 on Tuesday, according to the latest situation report from the country's public health authority. That means that each person with the virus infects an average of 0.9 other people.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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| Coronavirus: WHO worker killed in Myanmar collecting samples Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:34 AM PDT  The 28-year-old was caught up in gunfire in Myanmar's conflict-riven Rakhine State, the UN says.
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| Two pet cats in New York test positive for coronavirus Posted: 22 Apr 2020 12:15 PM PDT  This marks the first time a pet has tested positive for the virus in the United States.
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| Trump Dodges on Hydroxychloroquine After Study Raises Red Flags Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:13 AM PDT  President Trump was grilled Tuesday about his flogging of an anti-malaria drug as a coronavirus treatment after a government-funded study showed it didn't help veterans and was associated with more deaths.He dodged."I don't know of the report," he said at the daily briefing by the coronavirus task force. "Obviously there have been some very good reports and perhaps this one's not a good report—but we'll be looking at it."The research released earlier on Tuesday, which has not yet been peer-reviewed but was backed by the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia, is the latest evidence that hydroxychloroquine is not the magic bullet that Trump and his allies suggested it was."In this study, we found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalized with Covid-19," the authors wrote.In fact, the analysis of data from 368 patients at veterans hospitals found 28 percent of those who got it died—compared to 11 percent who received the standard treatment without the drug. And 22 percent of the patients who got hydroxychloroquine plus the antibiotic azithromycin died.Doctors Are Hoarding Drug Trump Hyped—for Themselves"Specifically, hydroxychloroquine use with or without co-administration of azithromycin did not improve mortality or reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients," they wrote. "On the contrary, hydroxychloroquine use alone was associated with an increased risk of mortality compared to standard care alone."The authors said it was not clear why the group that got the drug had a higher death rate, but they noted that a Brazil study on the analog chloroquine was halted because some of the patients developed heart problems.The team acknowledged that patients who got hydroxychlroquine were likely to be among the most critically ill, but even accounting for that, the death rate was outsize.Two other small studies, one in France and one in China, also found hydroxychloroquine was no better than standard therapies. The authors of the VA analysis said their limited study shows how data from clinical trials is desperately needed before hydroxychloroquine could be considered a useful weapon in the fight against COVID-19.In fact, they suggested medical providers exercise caution before trying it.Food and Drug Commissioner Stephen Hahn said at the Tuesday briefing that while there are 30 clinical trials underway, the results are not expected until early summer. He said that the veterans study was too small and preliminary to "help us make a decision from a regulatory point of view."But, he added, the study results are something doctors should take into consideration when deciding whether to prescribe hydroxychloroquine to a COVID-19 patient.Although Trump talked up hydroxychloroquine so often in his briefings that they began to resemble infomercials, in the last week or so he has abandoned his hype, and conservative media is no longer beating the hydroxychloroquine drum.Fox News Quietly Backs Away From Hyping Trump's Coronavirus 'Miracle Drug'But at the height of Trump's hydroxychloroquine fever, the federal government bought millions of doses. One side effect of that rush to judgment: Americans who use the drug to treat illnesses like lupus face shortages.Interest in hydroxychloroquine peaked in mid-March when it began to pick up celebrity endorsements from the likes of Elon Musk, who tweeted that "it may be worth considering" following some early Chinese research into the drug. French researcher Didier Raoult helped rocket the anti-malarial to international prominence and Trump's Twitter feed with a study of chloroquine and azithromycin. Raoult claimed the two produced "promising" results in COVID-19 patients, which, he claimed, "open the possibility of an international strategy to decisionmakers to fight this emerging viral infection in real-time."But Raoult's study came under intense criticism for its design and small sample size—and the International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, which published the article, later issued a statement saying it "does not meet the Society's expected standard." Remarkably, the criticism did not dull the celebrity endorsements with Dr. Oz and Laura Ingraham touting the drug on Fox News. 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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| 26 Cheap, Neutral Rugs That Actually Look Good Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:10 AM PDT |
| How Singapore went from being applauded for its coronavirus response to facing an alarming second wave with thousands of new cases Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:59 AM PDT  Singapore appeared to contain its outbreak until a cluster of new infections in poorly-kept migrant dorms forced the country to clamp down harder.
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| Pakistani doctors urge government to reimpose mosque restrictions Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:06 AM PDT  Leading Pakistani doctors on Wednesday urged the government and clerics to reverse a decision to allow prayer congregations at mosques during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, warning that the spread of coronavirus could spiral out of control. Pakistan on Saturday lifted precautionary restrictions on congregational prayers. Congregations increase in size during Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Friday in Pakistan.
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| Trump 'strongly' disagrees with Georgia governor's reopening plan Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:11 PM PDT 
"It's just too soon. I think it's too soon," Trump said at the White House coronavirus news briefing. "They can wait a little bit longer, just a little bit - not much. Because safety has to predominate. We have to have that. So I told the governor very simply that I disagree with his decision but he has to do what he thinks is right." Kemp, a Republican, is allowing gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo and massage parlors to reopen on Friday, followed by movie houses and restaurants next week. The easing of sweeping restrictions in Georgia, along with South Carolina and other mostly Southern U.S. states, follows protests against rules imposed during the pandemic that shut down businesses and largely confined residents to their homes.
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| Pelosi calls off action on House proxy voting as GOP objects Posted: 22 Apr 2020 10:37 AM PDT  Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called off a Thursday vote on whether to allow House members to cast votes by proxy and is instead forming a bipartisan group to review options for reopening the House during the coronavirus pandemic. Pelosi announced the delay on a private call with Democratic House members, according to a Democratic leadership aide who was granted anonymity to discuss it. The move came after some Republicans had strenuously objected to the change, saying Congress should be in Washington and voting in person despite the virus.
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| Americans overwhelmingly disagree with restarting the economy at the expense of public health Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:49 AM PDT  Some people are protesting ongoing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most Americans aren't on board.Just 14 percent of Americans believe the country "should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus," a Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday found. A massive 76 percent meanwhile say social distancing should continue "even if it means continued damage to the economy," the poll taken just days ago found.Protesters have gathered in state capitols and, with prodding from President Trump, demanded businesses reopen and social distancing requirements be lifted even though medical experts warn against it. This poll reflects how small that movement is, despite its continued news coverage and the fact that it seems to have prompted some governors to buck federal guidelines and move to let businesses reopen before the pandemic has even peaked. The Morning Consult poll mirrors a recent survey from Pew Research, which found 66 percent of Americans were more concerned that social distancing guidelines would be lifted too soon than last too long.Morning Consult/Politico surveyed 1991 registered voters online from April 18-19, and the poll had a two percent margin of error.More stories from theweek.com How close are we to herd immunity? The Navajo Nation outbreak reveals an ugly truth behind America's coronavirus experience Trump administration allegedly removed doctor developing COVID-19 vaccine for refusing to back hydroxychloroquine
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| Profile: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Posted: 21 Apr 2020 06:43 AM PDT  Kim Jong-un, the young leader driving North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
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| Child sex trafficking survivor supported by Kim Kardashian West freed from jail Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:57 AM PDT  "She will be sent to an appropriate group home and she will be under supervision for an extensive period of time," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.
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| Man dies after being denied coronavirus tests at three emergency rooms because of racism, family alleges Posted: 22 Apr 2020 09:42 AM PDT  A man who died in Michigan was denied coronavirus testing at three different emergency rooms because he was black, his family has alleged, as state officials said a "medical bias" may exist in Covid-19 testing.Gary Fowler, 56, was reportedly not tested for the novel virus at the three Detroit-area emergency rooms despite having many symptoms associated with the disease, according to his stepson, Keith Gambrell.
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| Australia seeks probe into coronavirus spread, France and UK say now not the time Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:18 PM PDT  Australia sought support for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and major powers, but France and Britain said now was the time to fight the virus, not to apportion blame. Australia's push for an independent review of the origins and spread of the pandemic, including the response of the World Health Organization (WHO), has drawn sharp criticism from China, which has accused Australian lawmakers of taking instructions from the United States. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Twitter he had "a very constructive discussion" with Trump on the two nations' responses to COVID-19 and the need to get economies up and running.
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| A coronavirus patient thought he was recovering. Then doctors found blood clots in his lungs — a new and potentially deadly complication of the virus. Posted: 22 Apr 2020 10:38 AM PDT  "It feels like a toxin is in my body," Michael Reagan, a coronavirus patient who was told he had dozens of blood clots in his lungs, said.
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