| COVID-19 Megathread #8 Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:52 AM PDT This post is updated daily. You can also follow the Reddit Live thread here. COVID-19 has now infected more than 551,337 people. There have been 24,906 confirmed deaths and 127,564 confirmed recoveries attributed to the virus. Do you think you have COVID-19? The CDC has a new online tool that allows people to "self-check" for COVID-19. Click here to use the "Coronavirus Self-Checker" tool. Recent Updates Note: These are the updates from the last 48-72 hours. MARCH 26 - - Updates from around the world:
Spain has registered a drop in the daily number of deaths from coronavirus on Thursday, the first in a week. Data published by the Ministry of Health indicates that 655 people died in the last 24 hours, 83 fewer than the previous day. The total number of fatalities amounts to 4,089, 19% more, which alleviates a constant rise in recent days that has been between 25% and 30%. The punctual daily data, the experts repeat, must be taken with caution, and it is necessary to see a series of several days to draw conclusions. "These are encouraging data, but we do not know if they represent a change in trend." Read more here. China says it is temporarily barring most foreigners from entering as it seeks to curb imported virus cases. See the tweet here. Sweden has just reported an increase of +24 new deaths, bringing the total to 66 deaths. Sweden has now (by far) the most #COVID19 deaths in Scandinavia. See the tweet here. Ethiopia has pardoned more than 4,000 prisoners in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus. The directive only covers those given a maximum sentence of three years for minor crimes and those who were about to be released from jail. There are currently 12 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ethiopia. Read more here. Jordan eased one of the world's strictest lockdowns over the coronavirus after it prompted chaotic scenes in the country. Days after a total curfew went into effect, people clamored to receive bread distributions from government trucks, the emergency hotline went offline after it apparently became overloaded with phone calls, and some reported they had nothing at home to eat. But on Tuesday, the government backtracked, loosening restrictions on movement. After four days of total lockdown, people were allowed to leave their homes on foot for essential trips, such as purchasing food from small convenient stores and obtaining medicine. A curfew is still in place from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. Read more here. Turkish-backed far-right militants cut off the water to 400,000 Syrians, including tens of thousands of children, during the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports in eastern Syria. Read more here. - Updates from the United States:
The USA now has the most COVID-19 infections in the world, surpassing China. See the NYTimes interactive article here. A record 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits as the coronavirus slams economy. Read more here. Orleans Parish has the highest per-capita death rate for the coronavirus among all American counties to date. More disturbingly, perhaps, it's not even a close call. The county with the No. 2 rate — Richmond County, N.Y., better known as Staten Island — has a rate half that of New Orleans. Read more here. On the same day as the state's first reported death from COVID-19, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Thursday issued a shelter-in-place order, a measure meant to keep the state's 1.06 million residents at home in an attempt to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Read more here. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is telling all Granite Staters to stay home and ordering nonessential businesses to close in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more here. New Jersey will ask medical experts on a bioethics panel to set guidelines for which Covid-19 patients will get ventilators, wrenching decisions that could determine who lives and who dies. Read more here. The Navy says an outbreak of coronavirus aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific has forced it to divert to Guam, where all 5,000 aboard will undergo testing. Read more here. MARCH 25 - United States: The Senate just passed a $2 Trillion stimulus package (the most expensive ever!) to help companies and Americans during the coronavirus crisis. The package includes $500 billion in loans for distressed industries, expanded unemployment benefits, a one-time $1,200 payment to Americans that make $75,000 or less a year, funding for hospitals and municipalities, and more. Read more here. House Speaker Pelosi is saying that she expects a fourth coronavirus relief package will be needed. Read more here. United States: New York City morgues are near capacity, DHS briefing warns. Officials were told that morgues in the city are expected to reach capacity next week, per the briefing. Read more here. United States: Colorado, Idaho, and Minnesota more than a dozen other U.S. states in issuing a stay-at-home order. United States: Defense Secretary Mark Esper has ordered a stop to all troop movement overseas for 60 days to attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the military. The stop movement order will apply to all U.S. forces, civilian personnel and families — including those scheduled to return stateside and those scheduled to deploy — with some exceptions. Read more here. United Kingdom: Prince Charles, 71, has tested positive for coronavirus and is displaying mild symptoms "but otherwise remains in good health". The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has been tested but does not have the virus. Charles and Camilla are now self-isolating at Balmoral. Buckingham Palace said the Queen last saw her son, the heir to the throne, on 12 March, but was "in good health".Read more here. United Kingdom: Millions of 15-minute home coronavirus tests are set to be available on the high street or for Amazon delivery to people self-isolating, according to Public Health England (PHE), in a move that could restore many people's lives to a semblance of pre-lockdown normality. Read more here. France will withdraw all troops it has stationed in Iraq until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here. Saudi Arabia reported its second coronavirus death and tightened a nationwide curfew, barring entry to and exit from the capital Riyadh and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina as well as movement between all provinces from on Wednesday. The orders, approved by King Salman and published by state media, also brought forward the start of curfew in the three cities to 3pm from 7pm starting on Thursday. Read more here. Brazil: Gangs and militias have imposed strict curfews. Now, with the state government woefully underfunded and Brazilian President Bolsonaro widely criticized for a slow response to the outbreak, criminal gangs that have long held sway across Rio's favelas are taking their own precautions against the virus, according to residents and press reports. According to well-sourced Rio newspaper Extra, City of God gangsters have been driving round the slum, blaring out a recorded message to residents: "We're imposing a curfew because nobody is taking this seriously...Whoever is in the street screwing around or going for a walk will receive a corrective and serve as an example. Better to stay home doing nothing. The message has been given." Read more here. Zimbabwe's public hospital doctors went on strike Wednesday over a lack of protective gear as the coronavirus begins to spread in a country whose health system has almost collapsed. It's the latest blow to a system where some patients' families are asked to provide such basics as gloves and even clean water. The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association president, Tawanda Zvakada, said the hundreds of doctors are at "high risk" and will return to work when the government provides suitable protection: "Right now we are exposed and no one seems to care." Read more here. New Zealand sends emergency alert to citizens: "We are depending on you". Read more here. PM Jacinda Ardern also hosted a Facebook Live last night from her home to answer questions about the coronavirus response. Watch here. Italy's coronavirus infection rate slowed for a fourth successive day on Wednesday, and the the total number of deaths also dropped, though still remained high at 683. Read more here. Singapore is heading towards a deep recession. The numbers are among the first official data from any country showing how coronavirus might impact economies and signal the onset of the global recession. Read more here. Japan: The governor of Tokyo has asked the city's residents to stay at home this weekend to avoid an "explosion" of Covid-19 infections following a rise in the number of local cases. Read more here. The United Nations announced a $2 billion global response package to fight the coronavirus pandemic in countries that leaders say may not have the resources themselves to combat the virus. Read more here. Britain's deputy ambassador to Hungary, Steven Dick, age 37, has died after contracting coronavirus. See the tweet here. Workers in at least eight Amazon warehouses across the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus, just as the e-commerce giant ramps up hiring to meet surging online sales. In response, Amazon temporarily closed down facilities in some cases in order for the centers to be sanitized. Read more here. Footage of empty cities from across the globe. See the video here. MARCH 24 - The head of the World Health Organization on the acceleration of the coronavirus: "It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just 4 days for the third 100,000 cases. Read more here. United States: The White House urged anyone who has been in New York to self-quarantine for 14 days to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which has become widespread in the city. Read more here. United States: President Trump wants 'packed churches' and economy open again on Easter despite the deadly threat of coronavirus. Read more here. United States: New York City will enact a plan to open up specific streets for exercise in each of the five boroughs beginning Thursday as coronavirus takes its heavy toll on the city. Read more here. UK asks for 250,000 volunteers to help its health service cope with the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here. Sierra Leone introduced a 12-month state of emergency to deal with the coronavirus. Read more here. Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro continues to ignore warnings about the coronavirus, as the virus spreads across the country. There are at least 1,980 confirmed cases of the virus in Brazil, with the death toll at 34. Bolsonaro has called the virus "a little flu" and said the pandemic is a "fantasy" and has refused to close non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of the virus. He has also attacked the governors of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states for implementing shutdown orders. Brazilians angry over Bolsonaro's lack of response have been banging pots and pans on their balconies in an act of protest. Read more here. India imposed a three-week long nationwide lockdown for its 1.3 billion people, the most far-reaching measure undertaken by any government to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here. United States: Los Angeles County Sheriff orders gun stores to close; adds 1,300 deputies to patrol. Read more here. United States: Waffle House has now closed 365 locations across the U.S. due to the coronavirus pandemic. 1,627 locations remain open. Read more here. For those of you wondering why this is news, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) measures how serious things are in an area by using the "Waffle House Index." China reopens parts of the Great Wall of China after coronavirus closures. Read more here. Tracking COVID-19 Reputable Sources for Information:
Previous Megathreads submitted by /u/hoosakiwi [link] [comments] |
| NASA data shows something leaking out of Uranus Posted: 27 Mar 2020 09:49 AM PDT |
| North Texas man allegedly threatens to kill Nancy Pelosi, says she's running a 'satanic cult' Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:46 AM PDT |
| British PM Johnson tests positive for coronavirus Posted: 27 Mar 2020 04:21 AM PDT |
| U.S. increases support for Taiwan, China threatens to strike back Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:47 AM PDT |
| MLB uniform maker switches to producing medical masks, gowns Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:09 AM PDT |
| Woman found murdered on same property where mother was killed nearly 24 years earlier Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:04 AM PDT |
| GameStop to permanently close over 300 stores Posted: 26 Mar 2020 06:53 PM PDT |
| Kroger converts store to pickup-only service Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:39 AM PDT |
| Texas Roadhouse CEO forgoes salary and bonus to pay front-line restaurant employees Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:47 PM PDT |
| Subway fire in NYC kills train operator, appears "intentional" Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:37 AM PDT |
| Scientists find bug that feasts on toxic plastic Posted: 26 Mar 2020 11:42 PM PDT |
| School administrator goes to drive-thru where student is working to tell her she's valedictorian Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:52 PM PDT |
| Asian Americans report over 650 racist acts over last week, new data says Posted: 27 Mar 2020 12:02 AM PDT |
| Vodafone UK to Hit Brits Stranded in Turkey with Roaming Hike Posted: 27 Mar 2020 08:44 AM PDT |
| Nevada Highway Patrol trooper shot near Ely; manhunt underway Posted: 27 Mar 2020 09:30 AM PDT |
| Takaya, the lone wolf of Discovery Island, has been shot and killed Posted: 26 Mar 2020 09:09 PM PDT |
| The Federal Reserve just reduced reserve requirement ratios to zero percent Posted: 26 Mar 2020 05:32 PM PDT |
| Hertz offers free rental cars to health care workers in New York City Posted: 26 Mar 2020 12:53 PM PDT |
| N. Macedonia becomes 30th NATO member. Posted: 27 Mar 2020 11:36 AM PDT |
| Globetrotters legend Fred 'Curly' Neal dies at 77 Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:05 PM PDT |
| Ensure strict compliance of treaty on banning biological weapons: India Posted: 27 Mar 2020 09:33 AM PDT |
| NBA's top executives to have salaries reduced by 20% Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:49 PM PDT |
