Unemployment insurance claim filings continue there unprecedented increase.
Another 2.9 million Americans filed for unemployment the previous week in May. This brings the total to 36.5 million people whom have filed for jobless aid in the two months since the coronavirus and state governments forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces according to the Labor Department.
Unemployment stood at 14.7% in April, the most recent month for reporting.
Understanding how the body clears the new coronavirus is becoming more important as the U.S. begins to reopen. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains how the body fights infection and why feeling better doesn’t equal being virus-free.
Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann
Blame psychology for why many Americans still cannot accept the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic.
American mindset is another reason it’s so hard to enforce strict public health measures. Americans are independent-minded and don’t willingly sacrifice personal freedom for the sake of the wider society. That’s especially so for people who distrust science, detest government regulations and have never seen a situation like this pandemic with their own eyes.
Image of SARS-CoV-2, virus that causes COVID-19
Social Distancing
With the advent of the pandemic, we have been hearing a lot about “social distancing”, which according to governments and medical authorities mean we should keep at least 6 feet apart from others, as much as possible.
But clearly, it’s about keeping your physical distance at least six feet from others and not about increasing your social distance from family, friends and neighbors.
Governmental authorities screwed the pooch on the phrasing of social distancing. The term “social distancing” is not only a misnomer, it is exactly the opposite of what people should do during the current pandemic.
During a time of great fear and uncertainty, it’s important to stay connected to people that matter most in your life. Whether it be with friends or family, social interaction is important for communities. It keeps us feeling like we’re all a part of something greater than ourselves.
Stay Physically and Socially Active
Staying active can help you stay healthy both physically and emotionally. Take a walk. Take a virtual exercise or dance glass.
Staying socially connected is an important part of our emotional health. Human beings are social animals. Man was not created to be or exist alone. Most people need a certain amount of social interaction every week, or they start to feel isolated and alone. Social interaction can still occur, even as we retire and age. It just needs to occur in a different way when compared the our working years .
And remember, we must keep our physical distance to hinder the virus spread. But, we must stay emotionally and socially connected with our family and friends. Go out of your way to reach out to those who are socially alone and isolated.
We are in this together and awe will overcome this together. As a result, you should keep a physical distance at least 6 feet apart from others, but clearly this has nothing to do keeping socially distant from others. Instead, it’s all about keeping your physical distance from others.
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by Andrea Klemes, DO, FACE, Chief Medical Officer
With various states and the federal government considering easing social distancing restrictions and reopening segments of the economy, it’s important to remember that the coronavirus hasn’t gone away. That means if you’re in a high-risk group – or come into contact with people who are in a high-risk group — you still need to take substantial precautions, just as you have been for the last month or so.
Why do you need to be cautious? There is still a lot that scientists don’t know about the disease. For example, if you have had it, are you immune to it? Early studies are inconclusive. How widespread is the disease? Many people who have had the virus have never been tested, and studies show that they can spread the virus before symptoms show and even if they show no symptoms at all.
There is also no vaccine or effective treatment, and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is still very dangerous.
So how do you ease back into a more normal life? Here are some tips.
Am I high risk?
When the virus was first circulating in China, researchers believed that people over 65 and those with lung conditions, diabetes, heart disease and cancer — and any diseases that compromise the immune system — were at greater risk for developing life-threatening complications from COVID-19. This is still largely true, but new research has pointed to other risk factors, even for young people.
Obesity, especially, accounts for a high number of severe COVID-19 cases, according to new studies. People with high blood pressure have also been hit hard by complications from the disease. People who smoke are also adversely affected by the disease. And men are at greater risk. In fact, a study in New York found that 62 percent of hospitalized patients were men. Researchers aren’t sure if gender is playing a role or if the risk men face is more related to lifestyle choices they have made.
So, who is most at risk? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s:
Each of these conditions is different, but the CDC has put together advice on managing these specific risks during the outbreak.
While being older than 65 is also a risk factor, the data shows that 25 percent of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 are under 50. It also shows that many of these younger people had conditions like asthma, hypertension and diabetes.
If you fall into a high-risk group (or even in a low-risk group) …
Before going out, talk to your doctor. Make sure you follow his or her advice. If you have a chronic condition that raises your risk, work with your doctor to make sure your numbers are good and that you’re taking your medication. Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, for example, can make you more susceptible to infections, colds and the flu. High blood sugars can weaken your immune system.
You should also be prepared to take extra precautions. Start with these steps:
Continue to practice good hygiene. Washing your hands, wiping down surfaces and using hand sanitizer are important.
Wear a mask and wear it right. Masks haven’t been shown to offer full protection (don’t expect your mask to make you invincible), and they offer even less protection if you don’t wear them correctly. Here are some tips for wearing a mask.
Maintain social distancing. After spending so much time at home, the temptation to go to dinner at a restaurant or have friends over or visit relatives is high. Resist it. You can control your exposure, but it is hard to control other people’s exposure.
One thing researchers have learned is that the coronavirus spreads easily and especially in close quarters. Staying out of situations where you are exposed to people in tight confines will lower your risk.
If you can keep practicing social distancing, do it. You’ll be safer for it.
Finally, if you want to take advantage of parks, beaches and other places where people gather, go there when they are the least crowded. This is true of stores and restaurants and anywhere people gather. If you have to go out, go when things are the most quiet. This should also help lower your exposure.
The U.S. has almost certainly fallen into a recession from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. But is it also in a bear market? Here’s what each term means, and whether the U.S. is now in a sustained period of lower economic growth and falling stock prices.
There is no evidence of food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus
To help protect yourself and other shoppers, it is important to keep a few things in mind:
Always keep in mind the basic 4 food safety steps — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
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“In 2008 and ’09, our economic train went off the tracks. This time, we just pulled the train off the tracks and put it on a siding.” Warren Buffett
During their annual shareholders meeting, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett explains to shareholders and to the financial markets why the conglomerate sold its entire stake in four U.S. airlines.
https://youtu.be/VDE9ckVnu_M
During the virtual shareholders meeting, Buffett commented that although he believes that they are “well managed”, “The world has changed for the airlines”, to explain why Berkshire sold its stakes in the “big four” U.S. airline carriers in April.
“Fear is the most contagious disease you can imagine. It makes the virus look like a piker.” Warren Buffett
Airlines are receiving government aid to remain operational amid declines of more than 90% in domestic and international air travel.
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First moments matter anytime we come together, especially virtually.
Instead of asking everyone ‘how they’re doing”, instead ask a question that taps quickly into something that’s meaningful to people and conveys “I am genuinely interested, and I genuinely care.”
Favorite questions — suggest asking something like:
The Insider Edition
April 30, 2020
Humankind has never had a more urgent task than creating broad immunity for coronavirus.
Realistically, if we’re going to return to normal, we need to develop a safe, effective vaccine—and we need to do it faster than we’ve ever developed a vaccine before. Creating a new vaccine usually takes a minimum of five years. But Bill Gates remains optimistic that we can safely condense that process into 18 months or even less.
How exactly are we going to do that? According to Bill Gates, the process is complicated but fascinating.
Bill Gates wrote an in-depth explainer that will hopefully answer some questions.
Read more about the race for a COVID-19 vaccine on Bill Gates’ blog:
There are dozens of candidates in the pipeline.
As of April 9, there are 115 different COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the development pipeline. Bill Gates thinks that eight to ten of those look particularly promising.
Gilead Sciences reported positive results from two studies that showed its therapy remdesivir could be a viable treatment to combat Covid-19.
Remdesivir
The separate studies’ results of its therapy remdesivir led to symptom improvement in patients with severe cases of the coronavirus. Gilead said the study of 200 patients showed that symptom remedy can be achieved in some with a 5-day regimen.
“These study results complement data from the placebo-controlled study of remdesivir conducted by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases and help to determine the optimal duration of treatment with remdesivir,” Merdad Parsey, Gilead’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. “The study demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir.”
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said on CNBC that announcements from Gilead about trials of remdesivir against the coronavirus “would not be a “home run” or a cure, but that it could possibly be used in earlier stages of the infection to avoid worse outcomes, similar to how Tamiflu is used against the seasonal flu”.
“We use it in the emergency room when people come in with the flu and we have it right away for people who might be at risk for the worst outcome,” Gottlieb said. “I think remdesivir could be used in a similar fashion. And so far all the data that we’ve seen accrue does suggest that there’s a treatment effect here.”
Earlier this month, the University of Chicago found that patients with Covid-19 had “rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms” and were discharged in less than a week, according to STAT News.
However, a draft document accidentally published by the World Health Organization (WHO), said the drug did not improve Covid-19 patients’ conditions or reduce the virus’ presence in the bloodstream in a clinical trial in China. WHO has been seen increasingly as a mouthpiece for Chinese Communist Party propaganda and the world should question the validity of “the accidental release”.
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