Coronavirus

Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Jan. 7: Tests on Travelers from China Offer Snapshot of Covid Bedlam, Connecticut Tells Residents to Mask

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 1,002nd day of the pandemic.
Multiple countries are conducting on-arrival coronavirus testing of arrivals from China after the country began to reopen its borders.  The move came about due to concerns over a lack of transparency by the Chinese government over Covid infection and death figures.
The test results are telling.
One flight …

Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Jan. 6: XBB 1.5’s Symptoms, Covid Infections Rise While RSV and Flu Plummet

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 1,001st day of the pandemic.
The XBB 1.5 omicron sublineage now accounts for over 40% of new cases in the United States and initial assessments of the symptoms patients are presenting indicate that they aren’t terribly different from what earlier subvariants of omicron caused, namely congestion and body aches.
Nationally, the new …

Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Jan. 5: Today is the 1,000th Day of the Pandemic, EU Recommends Covid Tests for Chinese Travelers

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe.
Today is the 1,000th day of the pandemic, a sentence I never dreamt I would have to write.  In the pre-pandemic days of Covid, as well as the earliest in the pandemic, we measured the number of cases in hundreds and death tolls in dozens.  The United States on Thursday reported over 200,000 …

Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Jan. 4: Doctor Sentenced to Jail in Fake Mask Exemption Case, Novak Djokovic to Miss Indian Wells and Miami Open

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 999th day of the pandemic.
If you’ve noticed headlines in the tech sector concerning mass layoffs of employees by companies such as Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter, you may have wondered whether this was somehow related to the ongoing pandemic.
Tech layoffs are proceeding at a greater pace than at any earlier time …

Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Jan. 2: One Third of the World Will Be in Recession in 2023, 8 New York Counties Told to Mask

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 997th day of the pandemic.

Governments across the globe have reacted to the sudden end of China’s draconian “zero-Covid” policies and subsequent dramatic surge in new SARS-CoV-2 infections by placing various restrictions on travelers from the country.

Health authorities cite a lack of transparency and information from Chinese officials on the number …

Here Are the Countries That Currently Have Curbs on Travelers from China

Health authorities cite a lack of transparency and information from Chinese officials on the number of new cases and the status of any new variants and are concerned about a wave of infections.   Indeed, the World Health Organization called the new restrictions “understandable” in light of this, while urging the Beijing government to share more data on genetic sequencing, death tolls, hospitalizations, and the number of new daily infections.

The latest …

Coronavirus Morning News Brief – Jan. 1: Countries Across the Globe Celebrate New Year After Lull, Canada to Require Negative Test from Chinese Travelers

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 997th day of the pandemic.
People in countries across the globe celebrated the first pandemic New Year with relatively few restrictions in place.  Many groups of families and friends gathered for such festivities the first time in three years, after dozens of muted or cancelled events.
Cities across Europe, Africa and Asia …