# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 112
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2227 "2020-04-10T20:47:37Z")
I’d say more but we’re not supposed to be discussing any politics; if you’re wondering why I mentioned the CDC, see post #2188. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2228 "2020-04-10T21:29:48Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Hmm, that explains all of the industrial sizes of food suddenly showing up my local supermarket. There were bags of dried pasta the size of pillows. I suspect some of the very generic-looking large packages of ground meat showing up at my store are also diversions from the food service/restaurant pipeline. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2229 "2020-04-10T22:05:30Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > 10% of hospitalized patients is still a fair number of people. So I’d say it’s still true that anyone could get that ill. > > – I had a thought about those percentages: to what extent do they reflect the number of people in a given age group who have the condition? That is, if [41% of the people 65 and up who were hospitalized for covid-19 were obese](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6915e3.htm), but [the prevalence of obesity among the general population of people over 60 is 42.8%](https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html), is obesity actually a risk factor? Sure, no one is immune. But the higher risk is among those with pre-existing/chronic conditions . ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2230 "2020-04-10T23:16:27Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I suspect some of the very generic-looking large packages of ground meat showing up at my store are also diversions from the food service/restaurant pipeline. I’m sure they’re perfectly soylent. ;)😛 ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2231 "2020-04-11T00:12:09Z")
More milestones for the U.S.: Over 500,000 total cases and over 2,000 new deaths today! ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2232 "2020-04-11T03:16:44Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’m sure they’re perfectly soylent. ;)😛 “Fun” fact from the movie [talking Soylent Green here]; supposedly takes place in and around New York City but most was done in Los Angles with the one time Chevron refinery in El Segundo as the factory. Not a coincidence that the two states with the largest number of deaths are CA and NY.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2233 "2020-04-11T03:35:24Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Not a coincidence that the two states with the largest number of deaths are CA and NY.:eek: CA is #7 as I type this. Currently after New York it is New Jersey, Michigan, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Illinois. Though to be fair CA is very close to the latter two and could easily surge ahead again. But it’s well behind both NJ and MI. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2234 "2020-04-11T03:47:44Z")
Breaking news on yet another COVID-19 casualty: [XFL Suspends Operations, Lays off All Employees Amid COVID-19 Pandemic](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2886027-xfl-suspends-operations-lays-off-all-employees-amid-covid-19-pandemic) ETA: OK, there’s already a thread over in The Game Room: [XFL has gone bust again](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=893865) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2235 "2020-04-11T04:08:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure, no one is immune. But the higher risk is among those with pre-existing/chronic conditions . Like being obese, which what fraction of the population is? ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2236 "2020-04-11T04:12:17Z")
[Official IRS info about the economic impact payments.](https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments) Non-filers can now enter their information here. Remember that they’ve backed off on people who just get SS payments; they should get paid automatically without doing anything. There will be the ability for filers to check on their payments on the same page, and enter bank info as well. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2237 "2020-04-11T04:25:28Z")
1,699,632 confirmed infections 102,734 dead 376,330 recovered In the US: 502,876 confirmed infections 18,747 dead 27,314 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 1,604,718 confirmed infections > 95,735 dead > 356,660 recovered > > In the US: > > 468,887 confirmed infections > 16,697 dead > 25,928 recovered > [@](#): > > I expect that we’ll see two milestones passed tomorrow: confirmed infections will surpass 100,000 in a day This didn’t quite happen but may tomorrow, although weekend reporting seems to be a bit off so who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2238 "2020-04-11T04:37:58Z")
^For those who don’t want to do the math, that’s 2,050 dead in one day in the US,and 6,999 worldwide. (That’s assuming I did the math correctly.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2239 "2020-04-11T04:45:27Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Like being obese, which what fraction of the population is? If I read other cites right, it’s being obese AND another condition. But high blood pressure and obesity is a fairly common combo. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2240 "2020-04-11T05:40:26Z")
At least some British gerbils are getting the cultural enrichment they so crave: [Quarantined Couple Builds Art Museum to Entertain Pet Gerbils | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/quarantined-couple-builds-gerbil-museum-entertain-their-pets-180974622/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2241 "2020-04-11T08:38:29Z")
A while back [some penguins got to tour their zoo](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/17/chicago-aquarium-releases-penguins-after-closes-due-coronavirus/5065917002/). ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2242 "2020-04-11T09:59:00Z")
In other news, Yemen now apparently has a case. According to my best research, that only leaves North Korea, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Lesotho and some tiny islands as free of this virus. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2243 "2020-04-11T11:09:09Z")
[South Korea Says 91 Recovered Coronavirus Patients Test Positive Again](https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-04-10/south-korea-says-recovered-coronavirus-patients-test-positive-again). > [@](#): > > Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said during a briefing that the virus may have “reactivated” in the patients rather than them becoming reinfected, Reuters reported. > > Health officials in the country said it is unclear how or why this has happened in the 91 patients, but an epidemiological investigation is underway. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2244 "2020-04-11T12:47:36Z")
This suggest that S Korea has a certain level of post recovery testing and one assumes that it would be testing for the infection itself and not for anti-bodies. Is this a procedure that has been adopted elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2245 "2020-04-11T12:51:36Z")
It seems far more likely to me the people simply felt ill again and went to the hospital and so got tested rather than that South Korea has a program to retest people who have recovered. I am curious about the notion of the virus “reactivating” though; can anyone shed light on that? Is that something that viruses do? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2246 "2020-04-11T13:03:16Z")
Well, shingles is sort of a reactivation of chickenpox but this would be different. I wouldn’t put too much stock in it until the story is fleshed out more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=111) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=113)