Liz Satterfield was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, and her chemotherapy left her vulnerable to COVID-19. “I was beating the odds,” she tells TIME senior health reporter Alice Park. “Then something like COVID-19 comes along.” For people like Satterfield, testing for COVID-19 couldn’t come soon enough. Yet, testing for the virus in the U.S. lags far behind other countries, Park reports, due to technical and policy issues, as well as political pressure.
Though labs across the country are ramping up testing by the thousands, they are still not fast enough to keep up with the growing demand. As of March 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and public labs, have conducted more than 11,000 tests since mid-January, but considering a national population of more than 327 million people, that number pales in comparison to the more than 200,000 tested in South Korea as of January.
So while Satterfield wants her partner and daughter to be tested for the virus, she’s aware that a doctor will not likely test them if they are not showing symptoms of COVID-19. And, due to limited supply, even if a doctor did want to test a patient for the virus, state and local health departments might still say no. To learn more about why the U.S. has faced a significant challenge in testing for COVID-19, read more here.
And if you want to understand who currently qualifies for testing, Park put together a handy FAQ that you can read here.
TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
Two days after declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, the WHO announced it was establishing a first-of-its-kind fund to respond to the growing public health crisis. The WHO expects companies, philanthropies and individuals to contribute; it anticipates a need of $675 million through April to address the worldwide outbreak, and said funding needs will likely increase as the crisis evolves.
In the U.S., President Trump declared a national emergency, which gives him authority to use a $40 billion disaster-relief fund to manage the crisis.
Meanwhile, two countries reported their first cases of COVID-19: Cuba and Guyana. Both are Caribbean, suggesting the illness is spreading south. Here are all the countries reporting at least one case of COVID-19:
Around the world, organizations and institutions continued to announce closures and postponements of events and operations. UEFA announced that it has postponed all of its soccer matches through next week, and the Boston Marathon has been moved from April to September. Disney Studios, the biggest film production company in the U.S., said it would halt work on some of its live-action films. Also in the U.S., the state of Louisiana postponed its primary election for two months.
Here are all the countries reporting at least one case of COVID-19:
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of March 12, 8 PM eastern time.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Would China’s Successful Strategy Work in the U.S.?
The WHO has said that China should be congratulated for its extreme measures, including placing millions of people on lockdown, to halt the spread of COVID-19. But others question the costs to citizens’ civil liberties and livelihoods. Read more here
Remote Work Is Actually Harder Than It Seems
Companies all over the world are testing new technology (including holograms that sound straight out of Star Wars) as more and more employees are required to work from home. TIME senior economics correspondent Alana Semuels writes about the challenges companies face to make remote work actually work. Read more here.
Can India, With the World’s Second-Largest Population, Handle an Outbreak?
Experts tell TIME reporter Sanya Mansoor that the number of COVID-19 cases India officials have reported are “just not right.” Experts predict community transmission is already occurring and say the country will see an uptick in numbers soon. But among their concerns are the low air quality in large urban areas and the country’s struggling health care system. Read more here.
COVID-19 Could Impact Women the Most
Women are more likely to be impacted financially by the spread of COVID-19, writes Xanthe Scharff, CEO and co-founder of The Fuller Project, a nonprofit newsroom that reports on women. As schools across the country shut down, women are more likely to stay home with children. They are also more likely to be employed at low wage jobs that don’t offer paid sick leave. Read more here.
We Are in a Geopolitical Recession. Here’s Why Coronavirus Can Make Matters Worse
Ian Bremmer, TIME foreign affairs columnist, delves into how the coronavirus will impact an already ailing global economy, laying out four key factors that brought us to this point. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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