The novel coronavirus has been particularly devastating for the elderly, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t impacted other age groups. Experts are now probing whether a rare inflammatory condition called Kawasaki disease, which primarily impacts children, could be linked to COVID-19.
Recent reports from Europe and New York City suggest that small numbers of children who have coronavirus are also showing signs of Kawasaki disease. COVID-19 causes inflammation throughout the body, whether you’re a child or an adult, and experts say it’s possible that the virus could be triggering Kawasaki-like inflammatory responses in small numbers of children. “The general thought is this is a post-infectious trigger causing the immune system to hyper-react,” Dr. Roshni Mathew, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, tells TIME health reporter Jamie Ducharme.
However, as with many other facets of the coronavirus, this is “still an emerging area of research,” Ducharme notes. The experts Ducharme spoke with say that, while they still don’t know for sure, they wouldn’t be surprised to learn there is a connection between Kawasaki and coronavirus. Any data clinicians can gather about COVID-19 symptoms will improve their understanding of the disease and how to treat it.
While these recent reports may have worried parents, Ducharme notes that “the reports are rare, there are not that many cases of this and overwhelmingly the evidence seems to suggest that most kids do not get serious cases of coronavirus.”
More than 3.6 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday, and more than 257,000 had died.
Here is every country with over 40,000 confirmed cases:
The European Union is predicting dire economic consequences from the impacts of coronavirus. “Europe is experiencing an economic shock without precedent since the Great Depression,” EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said in a statement earlier today. Meanwhile, Germany is taking gradual steps back toward normal life. German Chancellor Angela Merkel today laid out a plan to restart public life so schools, restaurants, hotels, stores can start opening up again, although with certain precautions, the New York Times reports.
China has hit back at U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s accusation last weekend that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory. “The huge drama of blame shifting in the United States has already been heavily spoiled, and continuing the drama is meaningless,” said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, according to the Times.
The number of daily COVID-19 cases reported in Western Europe are declining, according to the World Health Organization. But the organization warns that “more cases are being reported every day from Eastern Europe, Africa, South-East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Americas.” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO stressed in a media briefing today that, as more countries consider easing lockdown restrictions, it’s important for them to ensure that “surveillance is strong, COVID-19 cases are declining and transmission is controlled.”
A top British scientist’s predictions that hundreds of thousands would die without drastic restrictions to contain the coronavirus informed Britain’s decision to enforce a lockdown in March. But it seems he hasn’t been following his own advice. Neil Ferguson quit the government’s scientific advisory panel yesterday after reports that he was receiving secret visits from his girlfriend during the pandemic, the Associated Press reported. Ferguson said in a statement that he had “made an error of judgment and took the wrong course of action.”
The Situation in the United States
The total number of COVID-19 diagnoses in the U.S. rose to more than 1,200,000 as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday, and the death toll surpassed 71,000.
The number of new coronavirus cases in hard-hit New York has been steadily falling over the last two weeks, but the number of new COVID-19 cases in the rest of the U.S. continues to increase as nearly two dozen states have partially re-opened or plan to soon lift lockdown orders. As states ponder which businesses to start reopening, if any, major U.S. automakers are planning to reopen factories in the U.S. within the next two weeks.
President Donald Trump said earlier today that the White House coronavirus task force would “continue on indefinitely,” reversing course from previous comments. Yesterday, during a tour of an N95 mask factory in Phoenix—while not wearing a mask of his own— Trump said he would wind down the task force in the coming weeks and instead focus on “other phases.” Now, it seems, instead of shutting it down, Trump plans to redirect its efforts towards reopening the country’s economy. “The Task Force will continue on indefinitely,” Trump tweeted today, adding that the White House “may add or subtract people to it, as appropriate. The Task Force will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Rick Bright, a top government scientist in Trump’s own administration, said in a whistleblower complaint yesterday that he was demoted to a lesser role because of his objections to the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug repeatedly touted by Trump as a coronavirus treatment despite concerns from health experts.
After a vote by the Democratic members of New York State’s Board of Elections, the party cancelled the state’s presidential primaries. But it will go ahead after District Judge Analisa Torres ruled yesterday that cancelling the election, planned for June 23, would be unconstitutional.
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of May 5, 8 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
Goldman Sachs' new video series featuring insights on the implications of COVID-19 across markets, industries and the global economy.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Life Inside the World’s Longest Lockdown
Just before the whole world went into lockdown because of the coronavirus, Kashmir was coming out of one imposed by the Indian government since August 2019. The disputed region has since found itself back on lockdown because of COVID-19, and now doctors are struggling to access the latest medical studies due to internet restrictions; journalists are being muzzled; and militant activity continues. Read more here.
How the Coronavirus Is Helping to Fix China’s Broken Healthcare System
The increased reliance on online medical services could help improve access to healthcare in China in the long-run. Telehealth has the potential to transform Chinese healthcare by reducing the strain on urban hospitals and providing a stop-gap solution for rural dwellers. Read more here.
A Rescue Mission for Potatoes
Farmers are dumping their existing crops because of a lack of commercial demand all while unemployment soars to record levels, and food banks struggle to keep up with demand. Volunteers are now trying to rescue food from potentially becoming tossed out, and delivering it to hungry families. Read more here.
How Big Tech Could Redeem Itself
Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President in charge of digital affairs and competition, tells TIME that mobile phone apps used to help trace contacts will become a way of life—but must be introduced carefully amid fears of mass surveillance. Read more here.
The Baltimore Bioterrorism Expert Who Inspired South Korea’s COVID-19 Response
In the early days of the outbreak, South Korean public health experts racing to find a way to contain the novel coronavirus in their country looked to Sid Baccam’s ideas for handling an anthrax attack in the U.S., from almost two decades ago. Read more here.
Why It’s Especially Tough to Be a Parent of A Middle Schooler Right Now
“Schools need to give parents explicit permission to let themselves off the hook,” author Judith Warner writes in TIME. “Tell them they’re most likely not going to be able to keep their kids ‘on track,’ and that it’s O.K.” Read more here.
Getting to the Bottom of the Beginning
If the world wants to know the truth about COVID-19’s origins, it needs to know whether China was forthcoming in sounding the alarm; whether the World Health Organization quickly provided member states with the most complete advice available; and whether countries took early and effective action, Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia, writes in TIME. 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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Today’s newsletter was written bySanya Mansoor and edited by Jennifer Duggan.
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