# 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:** 127
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2527 "2020-04-18T17:58:08Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Random sampling in Chelsea MA shows 1/3 have antibodies to covid-19. [Nearly a third of 200 blood samples taken in Chelsea show exposure to coronavirus](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/17/business/nearly-third-200-blood-samples-taken-chelsea-show-exposure-coronavirus/). Sorry it’s paywalled, but here’s the intro: I’ve just brought this to [the asymptomatic rate thread with a non-paywalled link](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=22256941#post22256941). Thank you for sharing it. Studies like this will, as an aggregate, give us a better understanding of what the true numbers of infections are, what the true population-wide infection mortality rate is, and what worst case scenarios are based on when herd immunity might start playing a factor. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2528 "2020-04-18T21:20:28Z")
Today in Austria: [ul] [li] **Austrians have become noticeably more mobile** since the lockdown was relaxed, according to scientists at the Vienna Univesity of Technology. I can anecdotally confirm this: car and pedestrian traffic seems already up to near-normal levels. In my estimation, though, only about 80 to 90% of people are abiding by social distancing rules in public (much to the visible annoyance of the other 10 to 20%). Most people keep their distance from one another at crosswalks and other congestion points, but others just barge through the carefully spaced crowds. Everyone boards subways, streetcars, and buses wearing a face mask, but some people remove them as soon as they sit down.[/li] [li] The country’s **hospitals are starting to resume normal service**. Non-urgent surgeries that were postponed due to the coronavirus crisis are now being rescheduled.[/li] [li] Austria and Germany are working on plans to **open the border to German tourists** in the summer. The Czech Republic and Croatia are working on a similar agreement between themselves, which would necessitate the opening of a “tourist corridor” through Austria.[/li] [li] The government is now estimating that the coronavirus crisis will result in a **national budget deficit** of €25.6 billion this year. This ammounts to 6.6% of Austria’s GDP.[/li] [li] The vice-chancellor has announced that in light of the financial hardships that the coronavirus crisis is causing for low-income earners, their **income taxes will be reduced** starting from next year.[/li] [li] Current statistics: 14,637 confirmed infections, 443 deaths, 10,214 recovered.[/li][/ul] ---
**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 19, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2529 "2020-04-19T02:41:00Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I didn’t “miss” it; it’s just not the most important thing about the story IMO. None of those people should have needed to be there; they live in the most prosperous, most advanced society on the planet. “People try to survive by any means they can” & “corporation tried to help people survive” are the most important aspects of this, not “unforeseen consequences happened”. How many of them are now sick because the chain was too shortsighted to prepare properly? The nearest store held an annual one-day music festival in their parking lot not too long ago; I’m guessing the rest of them did as well. That should have given them some idea of the size of the crowds to expect. ---
**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 19, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2530 "2020-04-19T03:01:55Z")
The President of the United States does his best to undercut public health measures and encourage gun nuts in three states which just _happen_ to have Democratic governors: [Trump is playing with fire (opinion) | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/18/opinions/trump-is-playing-with-fire-ghitis/index.html) ---
**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 19, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2531 "2020-04-19T04:05:20Z")
2,331,956 total cases 160,767 dead 597,217 recovered In the US: 738,913 total cases 39,015 dead 68,285 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 2,250,790 total cases > 154,266 dead > 571,145 recovered > > In the US: > > 710,021 total cases > 37,158 dead > 60,510 recovered ---
**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 19, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2532 "2020-04-19T04:07:07Z")
[Broadway star Nick Cordero faces leg amputation due to virus](https://apnews.com/627c561c83b01c1035cf5c52bee6aa4d). > [@](#): > > The wife of Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero, who specialized in playing tough guys on Broadway, says her husband will have to have his right leg amputated after suffering complications from the coronavirus. > > Amanda Koots on Instagram said Saturday that Cordero had been treated with blood thinners to help with clotting in his leg, but his doctors had to stop the treatment because it was causing internal bleeding. > > “We took him off blood thinners but that again was going to cause some clotting in the right leg, so the right leg will be amputated today,” she said. > > Cordero entered the intensive case unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on March 31 and has been on a ventilator and unconscious after contracting COVID-19. > [@](#): > > Cordero played a mob soldier with a flair for the dramatic in 2014 in Broadway’s Woody Allen 1994 film adaptation of “Bullets Over Broadway,” for which he received a Tony nomination for best featured actor in a musical. > > The lanky Cordero originated the menacing role of husband Earl opposite his estranged wife, played by Jessie Mueller, in “Waitress” on Broadway, as well as the role of Sonny in Chazz Palminteri’s “A Bronx Tale.” Mr. Cordero is 41 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2533 "2020-04-19T04:15:31Z")
Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2534 "2020-04-19T05:01:48Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > If it happened at all, it was accidental and weaponization has been ruled out. No one’s saying otherwise, or at least I’m not. This is what I was talking about upthread: people try to “rebut” this by saying it wasn’t engineered, wasn’t weaponized, came from naturally occurring bat viruses. I’m not disputing any of that. It’s pretty obvious what happened. This lab, as Robby’s post pointed out, just happens to be in Wuhan and has been studying naturally occurring bat coronaviruses for years. U.S. scientists warned a couple years ago they were not doing so safely. Coincidentally, a bat coronavirus outbreak happened in Wuhan despite the first known case not being associated with the wet market. Clearly they accidentally let this thing get loose. Considering the bat caves aren’t anywhere near Wuhan, it’s just Occam’s razor. > [@Monty](#): > > If it wasn’t engineered by humans, then how was it in the lab? Seriously, that’s a CT and should not be graced with the light of day. 😕 How did you get that “Science Advisory Board” title, asking questions and making assertions like these? ---
**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 19, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2535 "2020-04-19T05:36:07Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Clearly they accidentally let this thing get loose. That’s a nicely compact and completely loaded statement. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > 😕 How did you get that “Science Advisory Board” title, asking questions and making assertions like these? Your emoji says everything. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2536 "2020-04-19T09:43:42Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yeah, I agreed with you, sorry if it looked otherwise. No worries! ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2537 "2020-04-19T12:13:52Z")
> **[‘Very, Very Scary’: Officials Dumbfounded as Florida Beaches Reopen, 3 Days...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/jacksonville-florida-beaches-reopen-three-days-after-states-coronavirus-death-toll-spiked)** > > “This move is so dumb that I had to make sure it wasn’t fake news,” one city commissioner tweeted. “You guys, it isn’t fake news.” Floridians really arent very smart…while the beaches are legally reopened for exercise I see a bunch of Darwin Award winners in the pic that accompanied the article. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2538 "2020-04-19T13:46:33Z")
There were 23 new cases in Taiwan, all but one sailors on that ill fated ship. There are several hundred crew and it was with two other ships with 700 sailors in total. Expect the numbers to go back up. This shows how hard it is to stamp it out. ---
**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 19, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2539 "2020-04-19T14:30:47Z")
[VP Mike Pence says the US is now conducting 150,000 tests per day](https://apnews.com/e935a19abd0962a460573ca396dcf18e); at that rate, it will only take 2,200 days or so to test the entire country (that’s a little over 6 years, folks). ---
**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 19, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2540 "2020-04-19T16:25:57Z")
[Federal judge blocks Kansas limits on religious gatherings](https://apnews.com/2dc708f8d69d2671af2301d086043ccc) > [@](#): > > A federal judge on Saturday blocked Kansas from limiting attendance at in-person religious worship services or activities to 10 people or fewer to check the spread of the coronavirus, signaling that he believes that it’s likely that the policy violates religious freedom and free speech rights. > > The ruling from U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita prevents the enforcement of an order issued by Gov. Laura Kelly if pastors and congregations observe social distancing. The judge’s decision will remain in effect until May 2; he has a hearing scheduled Thursday in a lawsuit filed against Kelly by two churches and their pastors. > [@](#): > > Kelly continued to defend her order in a statement: “This is not about religion. This is about a public health crisis.” > > Broomes’ action comes amid strong criticism of the Democratic governor’s order from the Republican-controlled Legislature and increasing pressure from GOP lawmakers to lift at least part of a stay-at-home order for all 2.9 million Kansas residents that took effect March 30 and is set to continue until May 3. > > “Churches and religious activities appear to have been singled out among essential functions for stricter treatment,” Broomes wrote in his order. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2541 "2020-04-19T16:26:42Z")
By way of your good friends at _Daily Kos_… > **['What we thought we knew, we don't know,' doctors say of COVID-19](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/4/19/1937848/--What-we-thought-we-knew-we-don-t-know-doctors-say-of-COVID-19#read-more)** > > Much of the concern about treating COVID-19 patients has focused on ventilators—specifically, whether hospitals will have enough ventilators to treat everyone who needs them. But, with  a high ... The title is a bit misleading, given the crux of the biscuit. It has to do with the use of ventilators in severe cases. I am not qualified to have any strong opinion on the issues covered herein, but it is a very interesting read. One of note of particular interest is the suggestion that patients can increase their oxygen level by the use of breathing techniques and posture. “Posture”, that is, meaning lying on their stomachs rather than on their backs has a positive effect, and may even make intubation unnecessary. Give it a read, especially if you have some expertise in these matters. ---
**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 19, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2542 "2020-04-19T18:03:54Z")
If the religious idiots in Kansas want to worship their invisible sky pixie OK, let 'em - but then they have to quarantine with each other and not put the rest of us at risk. If we could arrange that I say let the problem take care of itself. ---
**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 19, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2543 "2020-04-19T18:11:38Z")
The AP has updated to their story to reflect that Judge Broomes’ ruling only pertains to the 2 churches that brought suit against the governor’s order. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2544 "2020-04-19T21:22:41Z")
Found a [very comprehensive and, frankly, terrifying article](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/how-does-coronavirus-kill-clinicians-trace-ferocious-rampage-through-body-brain-toes) detailing exactly how this shit fucks you up and kills you. In case anyone was thinking of breaking quarantine, this oughta scotch that for the nonce. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2545 "2020-04-19T21:40:53Z")
Today in Austria: [ul] [li]Austria’s **pioneering relaxation of lockdown measures** continues to attract attention from the international press. Federal chancellor Sebastian Kurz was interviewed today on CNN about the government’s plans. (First time I’ve heard the guy speak English.)[/li] [li] In its first phase, the government’s program of **financial aid for the self-employed** has seen 130,000 applications and has paid out €110 million. The second phase is now beginning; self-employed persons can request up to €2000 per month for three months. Following some criticism of the scheme, the eligibility requirements have been loosened and the total funding has doubled to €2 billion.[/li] [li]I’ve been following reports of **public protests against the lockdown** in other countries—most notably in the USA and in Germany—with great interest. The Austrian government reports that local, organized resistance to its lockdown measures has been negligible. If any such protests do occur, I will probably be among the first to know, as my daily commute takes me past the federal chancellery and quite close to Parliament (both the usual building, which is under renovation, and the palace in which it is now temporarily sitting) and Vienna’s city hall.[/li] [li] The Ministry of Finance has now launched its very own **hotline for coronavirus-related financial enquiries** on aid packages, income tax, furloughs, etc.[/li] [li] The tourism minister’s idea of **opening Austria’s borders to German tourists** is proving to be quite controversial, even among other members of the cabinet, who have tried to soften or walk back the plans.[/li] [li] The president of the Czech Republic has announced his intention to keep the **Czech–Austrian border** , and indeed all the other Czech borders, closed for one year. This quashes hopes (reported yesterday) that Czech citizens would be permitted this summer to travel on holiday to Croatia via Austria.[/li] [li] Current statistics: 14,696 confirmed infections, 452 deaths, 10,501 recovered. For the first time, the daily number of new confirmed infections is below 100, a milestone remarked upon in a joint letter to the Austrian public by the chancellor and vice-chancellor.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2546 "2020-04-19T22:03:01Z")
From Bloomberg: [Tijuana Doctors ‘Dropping Like Flies’ and Free Trade Gets Blame](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-16/tijuana-doctors-dropping-like-flies-and-free-trade-gets-blame) > [@](#): > > In the border town of Tijuana, factories are working full tilt to pump out masks, protective gear and ventilator parts as global demand surges because of the coronavirus. And yet, locals say hospitals are desperately short of it all. > > Mexico is the eighth-largest supplier of medical devices in the world, but much of it is shipped abroad. International trade rules, an aggressive scramble by wealthier nations to stock up and what critics call a lack of planning on Mexico’s part have drained the nation’s health system of supplies it will need to fight the pandemic. > > It’s proving a deadly mix as cases start climbing in Tijuana, a medical-device making hub in Latin America. > > Baja California state Governor Jaime Bonilla warned that doctors there are “dropping like flies” and threatened to shut down a ventilator-parts factory if it couldn’t find a way to bypass trade rules and supply nearby clinics. Videos on Twitter show health care workers lining up around town as they hunt for their own protective gear. Close the US-MX border to trade might not be such a good idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=126) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=128)