Coronavirus Update: Cases Hit 4.5 Million, Talking Can Propel the Virus, Grocery Prices Rise
Adirondack chairs invite passers-by to sit along Mirror Lake in the Adirondack Mountains
IN BRIEF
A new study suggests that respiratory droplets produced during normal conversation may be just as important in transmitting the novel coronavirus and other infectious pathogens, especially indoors. The study was conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the University of Pennsylvania.
In the United States, grocery prices saw their sharpest increase in nearly 50 years as food suppliers continue to struggle to meet a rise in demand combined with a reduction in production.
Five regions in New York State including Central New York, which includes Syracuse; the Finger Lakes, which Rochester; the Southern Tier, which borders Pennsylvania; the Mohawk Valley, which is west of Albany; and the North Country, which includes the Adirondack Mountains, will begin to reopen their economies on Friday.
In the United Kingdom, Transport for London, which operates the city’s rapid transit systems, said that over 70% of Tube services (in line with national rail services) and 85% of bus services will be running by next week.
Meanwhile, football in Germany will resume this weekend without live spectators, and beaches in New Jersey – including the Jersey Shore – will open in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, albeit with capacity limitations and mandatory social distancing.
Many businesses and shops in Hawaii reopened Thursday, including malls and pet groomers, but the mayor of Honolulu extended the city’s stay-at-home order through June 30, 2020, although the city’s parks and small retail shops will reopen Friday.
Finally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that a Abbott Labs testing system for the novel coronavirus, which was highly touted by President Trump at a White House press briefing in March and which is used by the White House to screen staff members and visitors, may return false negatives in persons who are infected.
SIMPLE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF DURING THE PANDEMIC
Practice social distancing consistently no matter where you are outside your home and wear a mask in public. Wash your hands often. When you do leave to go shopping, wipe down your shopping cart with a Clorox-type wipe. And did we say, “wash your hands”?
TODAY’S FACTS AND FIGURES
The number of coronavirus cases across the globe stands at 4.5 million, of which 1.7 million have recovered, based on data compiled by Worldometer, a service that compiles and makes available world statistics. The death toll now stands at 303,372.
In the United States and its territories, the number of confirmed cases stands at 1.48 million, while the death toll stands at 86,912. Russia now has the third highest number of cases in the world, with 252,245, with a death toll of 2,305, which many believe to be a tremendous undercount.
While international comparisons of these figures are difficult, perhaps the most useful comparison is to look at the deaths per million members of the population, with the caveat that there are differences in how countries record deaths. It’s also important to keep in mind that the number of deaths is a lagging indicator.
San Marino, with a population of just over 33,000 and which has been testing all of its inhabitants, continues to have the highest number of deaths per million members of the population, at 1,209.
Belgium the second highest number of deaths per million members of the population, 769, is followed by Andorra with 634 and Spain with 584. Italy, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden have reported 519, 495, 420, and 350, respectively, while the Netherlands, Ireland, and Switzerland have reported 326, 305, and 217, respectively. In Germany the figure is 95 (unchanged, while in Austria it is 70.
The number of deaths per million members of the population in the United States is now 263. It remains three in China, according to official figures there.
OTHER CORONAVIRUS NEWS
05-14 “Frozen” became the first Broadway show to be felled by the coronavirus pandemic after Disney announced that the musical would not reopen once theaters in New York City eventually reopen.
05-13 New guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which says that air passengers can only get a refund from an airline if the airline cancels the flight. If passengers cancel, what is refunded – if anything – is up to the airline.
05-13 Long Island MacArthur Airport announced it has deployed continuous pathogen reduction technology at ticketing counters, at its security checkpoints, in the gate areas, and in the baggage claim area. The system reduces viruses and other microbes in the air and on surfaces. Manufactured by Caspr Group of Dallas, Texas, the system uses a natural catalytic converter process to extract oxygen and moisture from ambient air and then produce and deliver trace levels of hydrogen peroxide to indoor spaces, which in turn destroys microbes in the air and on surfaces.
05-13 German authorities deported a 20-year-old U.S. man who tried to bypass customs and immigration to sneak into the country to see his girlfriend by dressing as a member of the airport’s janitorial staff.
05-12 A woman illegally entered Yellowstone National Park, which is closed due to the pandemic, and fell backwards into a hot spring near the Old Faithful geyser while taking photographs. She was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Idaho and treated for burns, officials said.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
