# 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:** 170
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3391 "2020-06-02T21:19:59Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Another slow news day in Austria. The few government press conferences held today mostly just repeated information that had already been anounced in the previous days. Even the coronavirus news ticker on the Austrian news site I follow signed off four hours early today because there was nothing going on. And there’s been only one new coronavirus-related death reported in the past week. > > From now on I’ll just refrain from posting on days where there is no news. So if you don’t hear from me on a given day, or for several days in a row, you can just assume that it’s because things are getting back to normal in Austria, at least in fits and starts. This is really good news. And to what extent is YOUR personal life returning to “normal”? How are you feeling about resuming pre-COVID activities with modifications? ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3392 "2020-06-02T21:20:16Z")
Right on, **psychonaut**. I hope the trend continues, eh. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3393 "2020-06-02T21:59:18Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > This is really good news. And to what extent is YOUR personal life returning to “normal”? How are you feeling about resuming pre-COVID activities with modifications? For me, things already felt like they were back to “mostly normal” around a month ago, when traffic started returning to the streets. I actually kind of enjoyed biking to work on the utterly deserted streets near the beginning of the lockdown. But I’m still the only person in my entire office who shows up for work—everyone else has been doing home office since mid-March. It’s both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because I have complete solitude in which to concentrate, and a curse because without seeing my colleagues working around me I somehow feel less motivated to work myself. My partner and I went to a museum on Sunday, one of the few ones that have reopened. (Legally they’re all allowed to reopen, but without any tourists around it seems most are in no hurry to do so.) The museum was largely empty of visitors, which again was something we found rather nice—no waiting in lines or trying to peek over people’s shoulders at the exhibits or being distracted by yammering in a dozen different languages. Even still, we were required to wear face coverings at all times, though we’re used to such rules by now. We also visited a café for the first time since the lockdown began, and were again the only customers in the entire establishment. So it was a bit weird, but also quite nice as we got very attentive and fast table service. We’re looking forward to the €50 restaurant voucher that the city will be sending all households this month. The one pre-lockdown activity we really miss is going to the cinema. I don’t think these have reopened yet, though they’re slated to soon. There will be rules about sitting apart from people not living in your household, which will suit us just fine—I don’t like sitting cheek by jowl with the other patrons anyway. I and members of my family have had hospital appointments that were cancelled or indefinitely postponed due to the pandemic. One of these still hasn’t been rescheduled, and the other one had to be rescheduled for a hospital in another city(!) because the hospitals in Vienna still aren’t doing certain elective surgeries. We had to rent a car for about €75 to drive to this other hospital, which was kind of annoying. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3394 "2020-06-02T22:16:23Z")
Thanks for that update! I’ve always wanted to visit Vienna… have a coffee and a ginormous, creamy pastry for me! ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3395 "2020-06-02T22:34:11Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Thanks for that update! I’ve always wanted to visit Vienna… have a coffee and a ginormous, creamy pastry for me! I will! And let me know when you make it here. Maybe we can make it a full-fledged EuroDopeFest. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3396 "2020-06-02T22:54:47Z")
Here’s a ranking of [36 activities by relative risk level](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/06/from-hair-salons-to-gyms-experts-rank-36-activities-by-coronavirus-risk-level.html) from four public health experts. In summary, play tennis instead of going to a bar. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3397 "2020-06-02T23:34:18Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Here’s a ranking of [36 activities by relative risk level](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/06/from-hair-salons-to-gyms-experts-rank-36-activities-by-coronavirus-risk-level.html) from four public health experts. In summary, play tennis instead of going to a bar. Based on that scale, massive sporadically-masked crowd gatherings in the most infested American cities, with no social distancing in practice, must be a 10. I fear we in the US will have wasted 3 months of lockdown. And I don’t think we’re ever going to get people back inside again. I guess it’s “let the chips fall…” from here on out. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3398 "2020-06-03T02:39:42Z")
[del]Kenya[/del] Hawaii Restaurants open with restrictions. All food is pureed and sucked through a straw (non-plastic) inserted in a hole through your mask. :eek:;)😃 Oahu June 5 - Dine-in restaurant service, the Honolulu Zoo, Royal Hawaiian Band, Koko Head shooting complex, archery range, People’s Open Markets, and swimming pools reopen. There’s no reopening date set for Hanauma Bay. Maui June 1 Mostly open except: Not included in Monday’s reopening: bars, nightclubs, theaters, banquet halls, county community centers, and county gyms. There is no camping or use of grills allowed in county parks and beach parks. Interisland flights will not require a 14 day quarantine end of the next week. **Doesn’t apply to you unwashed tourists from the US and Other.** 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3399 "2020-06-03T03:44:41Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > [del]Kenya[/del] Hawaii Restaurants open with restrictions. All food is pureed and sucked through a **straw** (non-plastic) inserted in a hole through your mask. :eek:;)😃 [_Emergency induction port._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkIafuacPtU) ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3400 "2020-06-03T05:51:49Z")
6,452,422 total cases 382,481 dead 3,067,681 recovered In the US: 1,881,205 total cases 108,059 dead 645,974 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 6,370,471 total cases > 377,515 dead > 2,904,632 recovered > > In the US: > > 1,859,323 total cases > 106,925 dead > 615,416 recovered > > Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3401 "2020-06-03T15:47:23Z")
Haven’t seen anyone post [this](https://apnews.com/3c061794970661042b18d5aeaaed9fae) from the AP about China delaying release of information and ‘frustrating WHO’. Personally, I think this is an attempt to recover by the WHO, but it’s still interesting: > [@](#): > > China delayed releasing coronavirus info, frustrating WHO > [@](#): > > Throughout January, the World Health Organization publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus. It repeatedly thanked the Chinese government for sharing the genetic map of the virus “immediately,” and said its work and commitment to transparency were “very impressive, and beyond words.” > > But behind the scenes, it was a much different story, one of significant delays by China and considerable frustration among WHO officials over not getting the information they needed to fight the spread of the deadly virus, The Associated Press has found. > > Despite the plaudits, China in fact sat on releasing the genetic map, or genome, of the virus for more than a week after three different government labs had fully decoded the information. Tight controls on information and competition within the Chinese public health system were to blame, according to dozens of interviews and internal documents. > [@](#): > > Chinese government labs only released the genome after another lab published it ahead of authorities on a virologist website on Jan. 11. Even then, China stalled for at least two weeks more on providing WHO with detailed data on patients and cases, according to recordings of internal meetings held by the U.N. health agency through January — all at a time when the outbreak arguably might have been dramatically slowed. > > WHO officials were lauding China in public because they wanted to coax more information out of the government, the recordings obtained by the AP suggest. Privately, they complained in meetings the week of Jan. 6 that China was not sharing enough data to assess how effectively the virus spread between people or what risk it posed to the rest of the world, costing valuable time. > > “We’re going on very minimal information,” said American epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, now WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, in one internal meeting. “It’s clearly not enough for you to do proper planning.” This part I find a bit of weasely bullshit: > [@](#): > > The new information does not support the narrative of either the U.S. or China, but instead portrays an agency now stuck in the middle that was urgently trying to solicit more data despite limited authority. Although international law obliges countries to report information to WHO that could have an impact on public health, the U.N. agency has no enforcement powers and cannot independently investigate epidemics within countries. Instead, it must rely on the cooperation of member states. From my perspective there are multiple things going on here. SOME folks in the WHO were, of course, aware of the CCP blocking data and covering things up, and wanted to try and use praise or whatever to get the CCP to open up (which didn’t work particularly well). But the WHO leadership I think…or at least some of it…was clearly in the CCPs pocket and DID collude with them to not only buff up the CCP but also to block their own people from saying things that the CCP wouldn’t have liked. At any rate, figured I’d post it in here, though it’s not exactly breaking news to anyone who has been following along. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3402 "2020-06-03T20:06:29Z")
[Virus case count surges as 40 new Arizona deaths reported](https://apnews.com/845a2138df7d4d4e6cfd32f74cf1a545) > [@](#): > > Arizona officials reported nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday amid a recent surge in hospitalizations, a little over two weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey ended his stay-at-home order. > > The surge of new cases is a troubling sign for former state health director Will Humble, who said the timing is just too close to be coincidence. > > “The one thing it does is it shows us that the stay-at-home order worked,” Humble said. “Because when it ended you see an increase in cases on the 26th, which is 10 days after it ended. You can look at it county by county by county and see the same thing.” ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3403 "2020-06-03T20:20:01Z")
Israel has reopened its schools, and the virus has started appearing in several schools. The government has ordered every school to close if a case appears. > **[After Reopening Schools, Israel Orders Them To Shut If COVID-19 Cases Are...](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/03/868507524/israel-orders-schools-to-close-when-covid-19-cases-are-discovered)** > > At least 244 students and school employees have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, according to the education ministry. At least 130 cases occurred in a single school in Jerusalem. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3404 "2020-06-03T20:43:08Z")
One step forward, two steps back. ☹ ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3405 "2020-06-03T21:02:27Z")
[Malaria drug fails to prevent COVID-19 in a rigorous study](https://apnews.com/acdfd2d1fda245315a164225d15d360c) > [@](#): > > A malaria drug President Donald Trump took to try to prevent COVID-19 proved ineffective for that in the first large, high-quality study to test it in people in close contact with someone with the disease. > > Results published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine show that hydroxychloroquine was no better than placebo pills at preventing illness from the coronavirus. The drug did not seem to cause serious harm, though – about 40% on it had side effects, mostly mild stomach problems. > > “We were disappointed. We would have liked for this to work,” said the study leader, Dr. David Boulware, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota. “But our objective was to answer the question and to conduct a high-quality study,” because the evidence on the drug so far has been inconclusive, he said. > [@](#): > > Boulware’s study involved 821 people in the United States and Canada living with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 or at high risk of getting it because of their job – doctors, nurses, ambulance workers who had significant exposure to a sick patient while not wearing full protective gear. > > They were randomly assigned to get either the nutrient folate as a placebo or hydroxychloroquine for five days, starting within four days of their exposure. Neither they nor others involved in the research knew who was getting which pills. > > After 14 days in the study, 12% on the drug developed COVID-19 symptoms versus 14% in the placebo group, but the difference is so small it could have occurred by chance, Boulware said. > > “There’s basically no effect. It does not prevent infection,” he said of the drug. Even if it were to give some slim advantage, “we’d want a much larger effect” to justify its use and risk of side effects for preventing illness, he said. > [@](#): > > There are some big caveats: The study enrolled people through the Internet and social media, relying on them to report their own symptoms rather than having them tracked in a formal way by doctors. Participants were not all tested for the coronavirus but were diagnosed as COVID-19 cases based on symptoms in many cases. And not all took their medicines as directed. > > Full Coverage: Racing for a Remedy > The results “are more provocative than definitive,” and the drug may yet have prevention benefits if tried sooner or in a different way, Dr. Myron Cohen of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wrote in a commentary in the journal. > > Others were glad to see a study that had a comparison group and good scientific methods after so many weaker reports on hydroxychloroquine. > > “This fits with everything else we’ve seen so far which suggests that it’s not beneficial,” said Dr. Peter Bach, director of a health policy center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3406 "2020-06-03T21:05:23Z")
Today in Austria: [ul] [li] Today is the **100th day** since the first confirmed infection in Austria.[/li][li] The government announced today that all **travel restrictions** from Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary will be lifted tomorrow. This makes Italy the only neighbouring country from which travel remains prohibited, despite Italy having opened its side of the border. Contrariwise, the Czech Republic is keeping its side of the border with Austria closed until at least 15 June.[/li][li] A poll found that 64% of employees would like to continue **working from home** , even after the crisis is over. This is despite the fact that 42% of respondents reported that they found themselves working a lot more when at home than when at the office, and around a third reported that they were taking fewer breaks.[/li][li] Current statistics: 16,771 confirmed infections, 670 deaths, 15,672 recovered.[/li][/ul] ---
**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:** [June 3, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3407 "2020-06-03T21:18:59Z")
(duplicate post deleted) ---
**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:** [June 4, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3408 "2020-06-04T04:11:51Z")
6,573,540 total cases 388,041 dead 3,170,505 recovered In the US: 1,901,783 total cases 109,142 dead 688,670 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 6,452,422 total cases > 382,481 dead > 3,067,681 recovered > > In the US: > > 1,881,205 total cases > 108,059 dead > 645,974 recovered By this time next week the US will have more than 2,000,000 total cases. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3409 "2020-06-04T04:15:13Z")
By this time next March or April we’ll have more US dead than WWII ---
**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:** [June 4, 2020, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/3410 "2020-06-04T05:30:35Z")
[New Zealand on verge of eradicating virus](https://apnews.com/e27dc249d75c72638a348d416031d8fc) > [@](#): > > New Zealand is on the verge of eradicating the virus from its shores after it notched a 13th straight day with no reported new infections. > > Only a single person in the nation of 5 million people is known to still have the virus, and that person is not hospitalized. However, it remains likely that the country will import new cases once it reopens its borders, and officials say their aim remains to stamp out new infections as they arise. > > The country has already lifted many of its virus restrictions and could remove most of those that remain, including limiting crowd sizes, next week. Just over 1,500 people have contracted the virus during the outbreak, including 22 who died. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=169) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=171)