# 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:** 146
**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:** [May 2, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2908 "2020-05-02T18:18:44Z")
Remember how several weeks ago there was substantial sympathy for the truly bad situation in Italy? As of now the U.S. has more total cases per million than Italy (3465 for the U.S. vs 3462 for Italy). Scroll down for Daily New Cases in the U.S.: > **[United States COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/)** > > United States Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline. vs Daily New Cases in Italy: > **[Italy COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/italy/)** > > Italy Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline. To my naked eye it looks like the U.S. is basically flat, while Italy has made massive improvement. But there is a strong push to end the lockdowns/restrictions in the U.S. so one can expect a massive increase in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2909 "2020-05-02T18:34:40Z")
There is a major outbreak in the Navajo Reservation. In response, the Governor of New Mexico has blocked all roads into and out of the city of Gallup. [https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/lockdown-announcement-surprises-gallup-business-owners/5717130/](https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/lockdown-announcement-surprises-gallup-business-owners/5717130/) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2910 "2020-05-02T18:40:53Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Remember how several weeks ago there was substantial sympathy for the truly bad situation in Italy? > > As of now the U.S. has more total cases per million than Italy (3465 for the U.S. vs 3462 for Italy). > > Scroll down for Daily New Cases in the U.S.: > [United States COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/) > vs > Daily New Cases in Italy: > [Italy COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/italy/) > > To my naked eye it looks like the U.S. is basically flat, while Italy has made massive improvement. > > But there is a strong push to end the lockdowns/restrictions in the U.S. so one can expect a massive increase in the U.S. The number of cases per million is not a good way to make a comparison, because it depends on the extent of testing. A better measure to compare is number of deaths per million: Italy 475, USA 201. So Italy has been hit more than twice as badly as the USA so far. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2911 "2020-05-02T18:41:42Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The number of cases per million is not a good way to make a comparison, because it depends on the extent of testing. > > A better measure to compare is number of deaths per million: > > Italy 475, USA 201. > > So Italy has been hit more than twice as badly as the USA so far. And New York more than twice as badly as Italy so far. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2912 "2020-05-02T18:52:32Z")
Don’t know if this has been linked to in this thread, but all but a few of the biggest COVID-19 hot spots are at three kinds of places: [prisons, nursing homes, and meat packing plants](https://twitter.com/ginasue/status/1255847973797462016). ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2913 "2020-05-02T19:08:41Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > And New York more than twice as badly as Italy so far. And Lombardy worse than New York. New York 1242 deaths/m Lombardy 1480 deaths/m ---
**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:** [May 2, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2914 "2020-05-02T21:43:16Z")
Today in Austria: [ul] [li] **Barbers, hairdressers, and all remaining retail stores larger than 400 m²** were permitted to open today. It seems everyone and his dog decided that they absolutely had to get their haircuts and visit IKEA without delay, resulting in huge lines spilling out into the streets.[/li] One hairdresser’s salon I walked past had a dozen people blocking pedestrian traffic outside, and the salon itself was so packed with customers that the staff barely had any room to move. It seems there was no attempt whatsoever to comply with the social distancing regulations. I hope this was not representative of what was going on in other businesses. [li] Ipsos has conducted **an international poll on how happy residents are** with their respective governments’ handling of the pandemic. Austria is in second place, with its residents giving the chancellor a score of 6.8 on a scale of 0 to 10. New Zealand comes first with a score of 7.8, and Germany is third with a score of 6.0. France is in last place at 4.1. The UK, Italy, and Sweden have scores of 5.6, 5.5, and 5.2, respectively.[/li][li] Current statistics: 15,508 confirmed infections, 596 deaths, 13,180 recovered. Daily deaths are still rising, albeit at a low rate of 1.5% (averaged over the past week).[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2915 "2020-05-02T21:55:56Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Today in Austria: > …Barbers, hairdressers, and all remaining retail stores larger than 400 m²\*\* were permitted to open today. It seems everyone and his dog decided that they absolutely had to get their haircuts and visit IKEA without delay, resulting in huge lines spilling out into the streets. > > One hairdresser’s salon I walked past had a dozen people blocking pedestrian traffic outside, and the salon itself was so packed with customers that the staff barely had any room to move. It seems there was no attempt whatsoever to comply with the social distancing regulations. I hope this was not representative of what was going on in other businesses. > … Something like this was happening in the Dallas, Texas, area today. A friend of mine drove past Home Depot, and she said she had never seen it so packed. No social distancing either. :smack: It’s like the past six weeks have been completely forgotten. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2916 "2020-05-02T21:57:47Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Don’t know if this has been linked to in this thread, but all but a few of the biggest COVID-19 hot spots are at three kinds of places: prisons, nursing homes, and meat packing plants The fourth would be hospitals (I mean the doctors, nurses and other people working in the hospitals–not the Covid-19 patients). And big events are a major problem. Why does Louisiana have such a high rate of Covid-19? Probably started with Mardi Gras. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2917 "2020-05-02T22:01:09Z")
Are they also happy about the authorities that kept quiet about the positive cases in skiing resorts like Ischgl? Because as far as I know the class action law suits are already being set up…good chance that Austria’s actions (at least the actions of some authorities) played a large role in the spread of the disease throughout Europe. At a time where people traveling from Italy were scrutinised heavily, groups of people were returning from Austria coughing and all… without anyone knowing there might be an issue, while people that work in frickin apres ski bars had been tested positive in the weeks before. It’s great that you are happy with your government… but like all others: they haven’t been perfect. Verstuurd vanaf mijn moto g(6) met Tapatalk ---
**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:** [May 2, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2918 "2020-05-02T22:02:10Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The number of cases per million is not a good way to make a comparison, because it depends on the extent of testing. > > A better measure to compare is number of deaths per million: > > Italy 475, USA 201. > > So Italy has been hit more than twice as badly as the USA so far. On the other hand: > [@](#): > > The United States has suffered at least 66,000 more deaths than expected this year, a toll that includes the devastation directly caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a sharp rise in fatalities not attributed to the virus, the government reported late Wednesday. > > The new report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows 33,756 covid-19 deaths and 32,325 from all other causes since Jan. 1. Other causes include heart attacks, accidents, overdoses, cancer and a wide variety of other fatal diseases. **It also could include people who died of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, at home but whose deaths were incorrectly attributed to another cause.** > **[U.S. reports 66,000 more deaths than expected so far this year](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/us-reports-66000-more-deaths-than-expected-so-far-this-year/2020/04/29/b6833548-8a68-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html)** > > The CDC tally, almost certainly a substantial undercount, shows the devastation caused by covid-19 as well as a sharp increase in other causes of mortality. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2919 "2020-05-02T22:07:10Z")
“Georgia reported over 1,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the same day Gov. Brian Kemp lifted the shelter-in-place order for most of the state’s 10.6 million residents.” > **[Georgia reported over 1,000 new coronavirus cases on the same day its...](https://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-reports-1000-new-covid-cases-as-kemp-lifts-stay-at-home-order-2020-5)** > > Gov. Brian Kemp lifted the shelter-in-place order for most of the state's 10.6 million residents on Friday, despite rising case numbers. For a look at the graph… [https://www.google.com/search?q=georgia+covid+cases&rlz=1C1CHBF\_enUS798US798&oq=Georgia+covid+cases&aqs=chrome.0.0l7j69i60.4662j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8](https://www.google.com/search?q=georgia+covid+cases&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS798US798&oq=Georgia+covid+cases&aqs=chrome.0.0l7j69i60.4662j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) ---
**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:** [May 2, 2020, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2920 "2020-05-02T22:14:53Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > Are they also happy about the authorities that kept quiet about the positive cases in skiing resorts like Ischgl? Of course not. But that’s just one of many issues and incidents that the 1000 people who were polled had in mind when they answered the survey. Evidently the Ischgl scandal wasn’t seen as severe enough to bring the overall average score down too much. > [@](#): > > It’s great that you are happy with your government… but like all others: they haven’t been perfect. You’ve switched from the third to the second person here, so I presume you’re addressing me personally. Let me be clear that I’ve never stated that I’m “happy” with the government, and anyone here who is familiar with my political views (expressed elsethread) will know that this is something I will never say about this government or any future one. What I will say is that I believe that the Austrian government’s handling of the pandemic has been, on the whole, better at averting illnesses, deaths, panic, and disinformation than the actions (or in many cases, inaction) taken by many other governments. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2921 "2020-05-02T23:05:14Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Something like this was happening in the Dallas, Texas, area today. A friend of mine drove past Home Depot, and she said she had never seen it so packed. No social distancing either. :smack: It’s like the past six weeks have been completely forgotten. About two weeks from now, they will be forcibly brought back to mind. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2922 "2020-05-02T23:24:43Z")
A Kazak woman in Turkey celebrated the easing of the local lockdown by going for a hike in Duden park. Pausing to [have her picture taken](https://nypost.com/2020/04/30/woman-falls-to-death-while-shooting-selfie-to-celebrate-end-of-lockdown/) before a picturesque background, she lost her balance at the cliff’s edge. Authorities recovered her body from the lake over a hundred feet below. The virus did not end her life directly, but it tricked her into losing it. This invisible enemy is _tres_ cunning. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2923 "2020-05-02T23:26:30Z")
Time for a little silliness: Lucian K. Truscott IV, columnist at Salon, channels Hunter S. Thompson. [Fear and loathing at the White House: A journey into the heart of the American nightmare](https://www.salon.com/2020/05/02/fear-and-loathing-in-the-rose-garden-2020-a-journey-into-the-heart-of-the-american-nightmare/) > [@](#): > > We had just filed out of the Oval Office, from a meeting where we discussed what an incredible job I have been doing. It wasn’t easy coming up with new superlatives. The top of the Resolute Desk looked like a cross between a fast food drive-through and a police narcotics lab. There were two gigantic jugs of Adderall, six Big Macs, two tubs of KFC Extra Crispy, a case of hydroxychloroquine, three Quarter Pounders, six prescription bottles of Valtrex, four extra large cups of fries, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, exaggerators, laughers, screamers . . . Not that we needed all of that to confront the media, but once you get locked into a serious binge of prevaricating and lying and general ugliness, the tendency is to take it as far as you can. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2924 "2020-05-03T00:08:19Z")
Holy crap. Panama had been holding fairly steady at between 150 and 240 new cases per day and looked like it had reached a plateau at least. But today there were 370 new cases, more than 100 more than the previous peak.:smack: We’ve been on pretty tight lockdown for over a month, with people allowed to leave their houses only for essential shopping for only two hours a day every other day, and a complete lockdown for everyone on Saturdays and Sundays. I don’t know how these new cases are being transmitted. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2925 "2020-05-03T00:13:09Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > A Kazak woman in Turkey celebrated the easing of the local lockdown by going for a hike in Duden park. Pausing to [have her picture taken](https://nypost.com/2020/04/30/woman-falls-to-death-while-shooting-selfie-to-celebrate-end-of-lockdown/) before a picturesque background, she lost her balance at the cliff’s edge. Authorities recovered her body from the lake over a hundred feet below. > > The virus did not end her life directly, but it tricked her into losing it. This invisible enemy is _tres_ cunning. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2926 "2020-05-03T00:44:54Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > The fourth would be hospitals (I mean the doctors, nurses and other people working in the hospitals–not the Covid-19 patients). The fourth _what_, exactly? The point the author at the link is making is that these three types of places totally dominate the list of the largest such clusters. (And that this suggests a course of action going forward.) Where do hospitals fit in? How are they a fourth? Are there a nontrivial number of such clusters that were caused by a hospital? > [@](#): > > And big events are a major problem. Why does Louisiana have such a high rate of Covid-19? Probably started with Mardi Gras. Tru dat, but is anyone planning to have another big event like that anytime soon? Probably the biggest crowds anyone will see anytime soon will be at the anti-shutdown protests. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2927 "2020-05-03T01:19:19Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Tru dat, but is anyone planning to have another big event like that anytime soon? Probably the biggest crowds anyone will see anytime soon will be at the anti-shutdown protests. I read that our local footie team is going to be back in practice in a few weeks. The sportsy operators are a itching to fill up stadiums. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=145) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=147)