Here in Los Angeles, it’s hard to escape a growing sense of déjà vu. Just like the early days of the first surge in March, the weather is relatively cool (by Southern California standards), COVID-19 cases are on the rise, and the county has enacted a stay-at-home order.
It’s startling, however, to check what the state of the outbreak in Los Angeles was actually like all those months ago. Although many people were more fearful of the virus back then, things seem much worse now: the county’s highest single-day rolling average for cases was 443 on March 31; on Nov. 29, it was 4,519. Still, L.A. is faring somewhat better than much of the rest of the United States—it has about 45 cases per 100,000 people, compared to about 50 nationwide. Considering that there were only about 7.6 cases per 100,000 U.S. residents in March, the U.S. is clearly in a much more dire position now, even before it becomes clear how many people were infected during Thanksgiving gatherings.
As cases rise, communities across the country are once again imposing new restrictions to slow the spread, as the Associated Press reports. In Rhode Island, for instance, some businesses are required to close temporarily, and residents are being asked to avoid social gatherings with people outside their household. Other states have imposed more targeted restrictions. New Jersey, for example, has suspended youth sports, while in West Virginia, hospitals will reduce elective surgeries. However, it seems unlikely that these piecemeal restrictions will do much to curb the current surge of the virus nationally.
At the same time, we have gained numerous advantages since March. We know that face masks and social distancing can help to slow the spread, we have better access to testing, and new therapeutics and techniques can reduce mortality—though it’s unclear how much they’ll help if hospitals are overwhelmed this winter. Moreover, now that several coronavirus vaccine candidates seem to be effective, we can make a better-informed guess about when the world will start to overcome the pandemic—information that can motivate us to keep doing the smart things, even as pandemic fatigue sets in. Months into the COVID-19 outbreak, we have a better idea of how to limit the virus’ spread, but knowledge and experience are only meaningful if we put them to use. If we fail to take precautions now, the surge will only continue.
Living through the COVID-19 pandemic is hard. TIME's new advice column is here to help, with expert-guided answers to your most pressing coronavirus questions. Need help breaking the news that you won't be home for the holidays? Deciding if that dinner party is safe to attend? Fighting through your quarantine fatigue? Our health reporters will consult experts who can help find a safe and practical solution. Send us your pandemic dilemmas at covidquestions@time.com.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
Editor’s note: Because of holiday-related delays, COVID-19 data is likely to be a little strange over the next few days. For that reason, we’re temporarily removing the typical maps and charts from The Coronavirus Brief, but we’re still including the numbers as reported.
The Global Situation
More than 63.2 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 1.4 million people have died. On Nov. 30, there were 506,078 new cases and 8,670 new deaths confirmed globally.
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Turkey is implementing new restrictions starting today, Reuters reports. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that the country will impose a weeknight curfew and a lockdown over weekends. Citizens will not be permitted to leave home during those periods, although some essential services, like grocery stores and food delivery, can operate during certain hours, per the AP. Furthermore, people over 65 and under 20 will be banned from using public transportation, while weddings and funerals will be capped at 30 attendees. Nearly 639,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Turkey, and more than 13,700 people have died.
A viral spike in Hong Kong has forced the city to delay opening a "bubble" that would have allowed for quarantine-free travel between it and Singapore until 2021, according to Bloomberg. The bubble would have been a boon for the local tourism industry and airlines, which have struggled during the pandemic.
Formula One racing star Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the Mercedes team said in a statement yesterday. As he’s now isolating, Hamilton will not be able to participate in the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain this weekend. He’s the latest major athlete to test positive for the virus, a list that also includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin Durant and Novak Djokovic.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 13.5 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 268,000 people have died. On Nov. 30, there were 157,901 new cases and 1,172 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
The country’s political leaders are taking new steps to address the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic. President-elect Joe Biden introduced his economic team today, which he says will focus on supporting businesses and families through the ongoing turmoil, according to the New York Times.
Also today, a bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a proposal for an approximately $908 billion COVID-19 relief plan, including $228 billion for paycheck-protection subsidies. The package, however, does not include another round of direct stimulus payments to Americans. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, said that it's essential to provide a stimulus before Christmas and New Year's. "The people need to know we’re not going to leave until we get something accomplished," he said. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle were criticized for leaving Washington for Thanksgiving break before reaching a new relief deal.
Dr. Scott Atlas, a White House pandemic advisor who promoted unfounded and sometimes dangerous ideas (like a vaccine-less, natural herd immunity), resigned from the Trump Administration yesterday, according to Fox News. In a resignation letter obtained by Fox, Atlas wrote that he has "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence." However, Atlas, who is a radiologist without infectious disease expertise, was sharply criticized for contradicting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public-health experts on matters like whether face masks are effective in preventing viral spread.
New research has found that the novel coronavirus likely arrived in the U.S. back in December, although widespread community spread didn’t occur until February. In the study, published yesterday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, scientists found antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in blood donations collected by the American Red Cross as early as Dec. 13 of last year.
A group of families filed a lawsuit against the state of California yesterday alleging that the state's decision to teach students remotely has exacerbated inequality, including for low-income Latinx and Black students. The lawsuit argues that some students are not receiving an education that meets minimum legal standards, and that the state has not done enough to help underserved students. "Throughout the pandemic this administration has taken important actions to protect student learning while also taking necessary steps to protect public health," a spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom said in response to the suit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Dec. 1, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
How the Coronavirus Outbreak Compares to the Early Days of AIDS
On this World AIDS Day, the COVID-19 pandemic has nudged advocates to look back to see parallels with the early days of the AIDS epidemic—as well as stark contrasts, as my colleague Olivia Waxman writes. Both outbreaks were exacerbated by weak national leadership and resistance to public health guidance, she found. Read more here.
A Pandemic Inauguration
President-elect Joe Biden's team is facing a special challenge as they prepare for his inauguration in the coming new year: how to combine the pomp and circumstance of the occasion with coronavirus restrictions, as Michael D. Shear and Nicholas Fandos write in the New York Times. Read more here.
Elderly Couple Passes at Same Time From COVID-19
Leslie and Patricia McWaters, who were 75 and 78, died within the same minute in Michigan after contracting COVID-19, according to the Detroit Free Press. The couple's daughter said that the pair had likely contracted the virus while dining at a restaurant, and that after they got sick, they came to regret not having been more cautious. 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. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.
Today's newsletter was written by Tara Law and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
沒有留言:
張貼留言