Virus slams black Americans, exposes inequities

Data on coronavirus deaths in the US shows a disturbing trend: The virus is killing black Americans at a higher rate. Activists working to level out racial disparities in healthcare, food access and safety are urging systemic change. (April 10)

AP

CHICAGO Train tracks run above the intersection of Kinzie Streetand Ashland Avenue, two major streets that meeton Chicago's West Side. On one corner of the intersection, there's a trampoline park and new brewery. On the opposite corner,empty buildings for lease.

In one direction, a ZIP code relatively unscathed by thecoronavirus outbreak. In the other, a community decimated by the disease. One mostly white, with six-figure incomes the norm. One mostly minority and earningmuch slimmer paychecks.

Darnell Shields, executive director of the Chicago community group Austin Coming Together, said COVID-19's disparate impacts arise from food and housing instability, shaky neighborhood economies andlimited access to quality education andhealth care.

"It creates a fertile ground for something like a virus to come in," Shields said.

As the U.S. surpassed a milestone of one million known cases of COVID-19 this week, ZIP code data show the virus has run rampant through some neighborhoods while leaving residents in adjoining areas much less impaired.

Coronavirus impact: Black people dying at much higher rates in cities across US

USA TODAY took an exclusive look at how the pandemic hasbeen felt in neighborhoods across the nation by collecting the ZIP code-level data from health departments in 12 states:Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.

COVID-19 case report summaries were assembled for more than 3,200 ZIP codes about 10% of the nearly 33,000 U.S. ZIPs. Case data were matched with U.S. census demographic data to show how infection rates differed in ZIPs byrace, income and housing characteristics.

The results paint a grim picture of COVID's devastation in places just miles orblocks from communities experiencing far less harm.

In the poorest neighborhoods, where median household income is less than $35,000, the COVID-19 infection rate was twice as high as in the nations wealthiest ZIPs, with income more than $75,000.

Infection rates were five times higher in majority-minority ZIP codes than in ZIPs with less than 10% nonwhite population.

Of the top 10 ZIPs with 10 or more cases one in Florida, one in Michigan, the other eight in New York City nine are areas where at least two-thirds of the residents are nonwhite. Five are areas where household income is below the national median of $60,293.

Local health officials say not allneighborhooddifferences ininfection ratesare driven by race and income. Somearise from limited access to testing sitesor a lack of interest among some residentsin being tested. Areas with more nursing homes may also show higher rates of infection.

But the USA TODAY analysis shows socio-economic factors have played important roles.

ackling poverty in a coronavirus-induced economic downturn:Is it too risky or the right thing to do?

The intersection of Kinzie and Ashland in Chicago marks the boundary between ZIP code 60642, which centers on theNoble Square neighborhood, and ZIP code 60612, which covers much of the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

In Noble Square, the virus infection rate last week was about 20 per 10,000 residents. In neighboring East Garfield, the confirmed case rate was more than four times as high about 86 per 10,000 residents.The testing rate was also higher in East Garfield Park, but that difference doesn't come close to explaining its much higher caseload.

Touched less severely by the coronavirus, Noble Squareis a hub of young professionals bustling with a restaurant and nightlife scene.Around 60% of the population is white, and the median household income is about $101,900.

Attorney Jane Kwak, 32, was out for a walk with her boyfriend andgolden doodle Thursdaydespite the cold, overcast weather. Joggers cruised by without masks. Some walked dogs. Many restaurants were open for takeout.

"I dont know anyone personally whos had it," Kwak said of the coronavirus."I feel like around here it's still a bit normal. People are acting normal. Our neighbors will still chat and arent super fearful."

Noble Square resident Jane Kwak, 32, walks her golden doodle, Mozzarella, in Chicago, Ill. on April 30, 2020.Grace Hauck

Hard-hit East Garfield, meanwhile, is a family neighborhoodlocated between a conservatory and an industrial corridor. More than 78% of the population is non-white, and the median household income is $41,300.

Kwak, the Noble Square attorney,took a 15% pay cut and is working from home. She considers herself lucky. But in East Garfield, janitorJimmy Walkerlost his job. So did his wifeRachel, a child care worker.

The Walkers find themselvesbehind on rent. Theydont have face masks or gloves, even though the Illinois stay-at-home order going into effect Friday requires masks for those going out in public.

"Man, we need a lot of help down here,"Rachel Walker said. "It's been rough."

"There used to be people outside all day," Jimmy Walker said. "Now its like a ghost town."

East Garfield Park residents Jimmy and Rachel Walker head home from the market in Chicago, Ill. on April 30, 2020.Grace Hauck

Pastor Walter McCray, who lives in his childhood home in East Garfield,said his neighbor down the street contracted the virus and that several of his associate pastors had lost family members and longtime members of their churches.

Bill Curry, who runsprograms focused on youth and families in the neighborhood, said the community was hurting. "The demand for food has significantly increased," Curry said. "Not only people who have been regulars, but a bunch of people, this is their first time going to a food pantry."

Coronavirus in Chicago: How the mayor of the nation's 3rd-largest city is waging her biggest fight

Across the city of Chicago, a similar pattern emerges: Coronavirus case rates are higher in majority-minority, low income areas. Many of these neighborhoods are food desserts where residents lack access to broadband. Last week, the mayor launched aRacial Equity Rapid Response Team to address the disproportionate impact of the outbreak.

"This virus is really exposing a lot of the disparities that have historically been part of these communities,even before COVID," said Shields, whose group is part of the task force.

Consider ZIP code 60621, which includes the South Side Englewood neighborhood, where the case rate is 70 per 10,000. Nearly 99% of the population is nonwhite, and median household income is $20,000.

Resident Tammy Smith, 51, a home care aide, said a friend shed known since she was a teenager recentlydied after contracting the coronavirus."Shes gone on," Smith said while riding the bus to work."It has affected me, and not just me only, but family and other ones."

Per protocol, Smith boarded the bus through the rear doors, wrenching them open by pulling on the rubber lining. A handful of other people mostly African American and wearing protective masks were sat spread out throughout the bus.

Poor, essential and on the bus:Coronavirus is putting public transportation riders at risk

Adjacent ZIP code 60620, which includes Auburn Gresham, hasthe same rate of infections.

"Our community is besieged. We are losing lives," said Carlos Nelson, CEOof the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, who called USA TODAY from his cell phone because phone and internet was down in the neighborhood.

The trend is not unique to Chicago.

Detroit, the epicenter of the outbreak in Michigan, reported1,000 deaths and almost 9,000 casesas of Wednesday. The surge promptedatransformation of convention centers into field hospitals.

Ira Carroll was standing on a milk crate to reach the top shelf of the freezerto restock the ice cream section at Saturn Super Foods on Joy Road in Detroits 48228 zip code, where the coronavirus case rate is among the city's highestat 92per 10,000 residents.

Saturn Super Foods is situated on an avenue lined with shopping plazas of independent businesses, including a barbershop, a diner and an auto repair place. Beyond the avenue is a quiet residential area that makes up a large part of 48228.

"Its a quiet, peaceful neighborhood,"Carroll said, describing the place hes called home for over a decade.

Ira Carroll restocks the ice cream in the frozen section of Saturn Super Foods, in Detroit's 48228 zip code, where he has worked for 22 years.Miriam Marini

Detroits 48228 is where people come to stay. Families establish roots in the neighborhood, often staying in the area for generations. Its the type of place where your childhood friend sticks around well past childhood.Median household income is $26,000, and 84% of the population is nonwhite.

Damien Lake, 23, has lived in the 48228 area for almost his entire life. He suspects this unrelenting sense of community may be a contributing factor to the areas COVID-19 rates. "A lot of people in this area know each other, and have for years,"Lake said. "So, they want to be around each other, they want to socialize."

Just next door to this community is Redford Township, zip code 48239, with about twice the median income andonly one-eighth theinfection rate from COVID-19.

Denise Martin, whos lived in 48239 for 12 years, said Redford also has a strong sense of community. On sunny afternoons, like in many metro Detroit suburbs, its typical to find young moms walking with strollers or families taking their dog out for a bit of fresh air.

Martin lives on a quiet block where she knows each of her neighbors, which she said is expected of her as block captain for the Far West Detroit Civic Association.

Although her community hasn't been hit as hard, the impact is still felt here. Martin suspected she had coronavirus in February. With her severe asthma, doctors put her on a CPAP machine to aid her breathing and she was able to recover in time for a drive-by birthday celebration for her granddaughter on April 1.

"Nobody has come to my house since the order,"Martin said from behind a mask and homemade face shield. "I have a 1-year-old granddaughter Im looking forward to seeing. This has been the best year of my life so far with her. I want to live to see my grandbaby."

'Something has to change': Latinos disproportionately dying, losing jobs because of the virus

Some ZIP codes defied the demographic trends, potentially reflectingarbitrary decisions abouthow coronavirus cases get recorded.

In Jacksonville, Florida,the San Marco neighborhood, which makes up the heart of 32207, is one of the city's most walkable. Storefronts that line wide sidewalks are usually packed. But ever since the coronavirus outbreak has shut down much of the city, the neighborhood has followed suit.

As the Florida Department of Health has updated its COVID-19 case data, 32207 has stuck out. Itaccounted for less than 4%of the countys population but 18% of cases.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Currys spokeswoman, Nikki Kimbleton, said the aberration is because of the number of hospitals in the area. While state officials saythey try to attribute cases to where someone lives, if they don't know the patient'saddress,they mark downthe address for a health care provider or testing lab.

San Marco is home to Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, the citys primary testing partner, so its likely patients from elsewhere are assigned there. Baptist didnt return requests for comment.

The other COVID-19 risk factors: How race, income, ZIP code can influence life and death

Just next door, in 32216, which is home to the St. Vincents Southside hospital and Memorial Hospital, the rate of confirmed coronavirus cases is a quarter of San Marcos.

Both neighborhoods have roughly the same population, racial makeup, median household income and housing stock. However, there are differences between the two communities.

Restaurants inSan Marco, with the higher case rate, are home to walk-up retailand seem to have adapted to walk-up takeout. Restaurants in 32216, home to industrial parks and much of the citys Arabic, Latin American and Southeast Asian shopping, say they have seen a steeper drop in foot traffic.

City Councilman Matt Carlucci, a lifelong native of San Marco, has taken to social medialike Nextdoorto reassure residents thatthe big numbers theyre seeing in ZIP code maps of COVID-19 infections dont reflect reality.

If there really were an outbreak in the neighborhood, he said, hed know about it. "I know San Marco as well as anybody in San Marco," Carlucci said. "Ive lived here all 64 years of my life."

Contributing:Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press;Andrew Pantazi, Jacksonville.com

Grace Hauck is based in Chicago. Follow her at@grace_hauck.

Read more here:

Coronavirus spares one neighborhood but ravages the next. Race and class spell the difference. - USA TODAY

Georgias health infrastructure makes Kemps choice particularly dangerous. Girtz worries about the states hospitals. His county has two, but because of rural hospital closures, he says theyre expected to provide services not just for residents of Athens-Clarke County, but for the entire 17-county region around them, home to some 700,000 people. A town like Elberton, 35 miles from us, or Commerce, just 25 miles up the roadthose were places where, a generation ago, you could have a baby, he said. Thats no longer true, and its also true they dont have the ICU beds there.

Few people in Georgia are eager to be a case study in pandemic exceptionalism, but many wont have a choice. Jillian Yeskel, the stylist in Roswell, whose Trump-supporting parents voted for Kemp, said shed had conversations with them in the past week that she couldnt have dreamed of a few months ago. Id assumed theyd support anything Kemp had to say, she told me. I talk to my mom every day, and were both just so upset with him. Theres no polling available on how Georgians feel about social-distancing measures in general, but Yeskels experience with her parents follows national trends: A poll conducted in mid-April by Morning Consult and Politico found that even most respondents who said they view Trump very favorably or voted for Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections wanted to continue social distancing for as long as necessary.

All Georgians can do now is try to protect themselves as best they can. If social distancing decreases because lots of businesses reopen, another deluge of COVID-19 cases could be inevitable. Because of how infections tend to progress, it may be two or three weeks before hospitals see a new wave of people whose lungs look like theyre studded with ground glass in X-rays. By then, theres no telling how many more people could be carrying the disease into nail salons or tattoo parlors, going about their daily lives because they were told they could do so safely.

In the meantime, local leaders whose municipal shutdowns have been overruled by state law are relying on other methods to keep their communities safe: disseminating information about testing, finding funds for food banks, creating grant programs to get a little bit of money to local businesses in need. For some, that includes duties both official and unofficial. On his walk home from city hall last week, Girtz said, he encountered his neighbors, a group of student roommates, enjoying the warm spring day. Hes lived in Athens a long time, and was worried that in a town known for revelry, a few people partying outside could turn into a lot of people partying outside. They were drinking beer on the curb, he recalled. I just had to say, Yall, enjoy your time to the degree that you can, but at least go up on the damn porch.

Listen to Amanda Mull talk about this story on Social Distance, The Atlantics podcast about life in the pandemic:

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Why Georgia Is Reopening Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic - The Atlantic

In 2018, I wrote an Op-Ed for this paper under the headline Were All in the Ghetto Now. I criticized Donald Trumps flagrant disregard of constituents and constituencies he didnt like or consider allies.

Back then, I used the ghetto to describe the impact of Mr. Trumps tendency to demonize his perceived enemies and then cast them into a permanent irrelevance that justified his ignoring of their concerns, to put them over there. I was exploring the connections between a white authoritarian politicians dangerous worldview and the most demonized of American spaces, the black ghetto.

When I wrote in 2018, the ghetto was a metaphor. It feels more real all the time.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, a majority of us are living in a ghetto of Mr. Trumps creation, physically and politically. The ghetto is a large majority of America, confined at home and in neighborhoods that went from being sanctuaries to stagnant, stressful places whose prospects have vanished overnight.

Like generations of black people whove lived in segregation everywhere in country, people of all colors from California to Maine are frustrated, anxious and significantly jobless. They are being ignored and dismissed by top leadership that is indifferent about whether they live or die.

This is life in the ghetto that Mr. Trumps inept and heartless handling of the coronavirus pandemic has created.

The president has said the enemy is the virus, but thats too abstract for him; the real enemy is anyone who acknowledges the seriousness of the coronavirus crisis, which continues to upstage and overshadow him.

This means that people obeying lockdown orders, sheltering at home, demanding tests, getting sick or dying all disturb Mr. Trumps embattled sense of superiority and control. They have all been relegated to the enemy list the ghetto and in his mind deserve not just irrelevance but also contempt.

Of course this was preceded by his ghettoizing of the governors of states who have ordered lockdowns and other measures, like Jay Inslee of Washington, Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California. (The fact that these are blue states made Mr. Trumps dismissal of the well-being of their residents that much easier. You might say that blue is the new black.)

This would all be absurd it were not so tragically real. The more the death toll rises and the clearer it becomes that Mr. Trump is totally unsuited for the moment, the more he rails and divides, taking the conservative phenomenon of blaming the victim to shameless new heights. This time the victims are not just protesters or poor, black urban dwellers; they are all of us living everywhere, because the virus lives everywhere.

At least now we have confirmation of what many of us have known for a long time Trumpism is not a new political philosophy or coherent agenda, but simply him versus us. And in his mind he always wins, even if hes actually losing, as he certainly is now. Yet this bears repeating Mr. Trumps outrageous stance tracks with the American view of ghettos, projecting them as failures deserving indifference at best, even though the failure is all ours. As a country, we have a long and sordid history of not taking responsibility for the most vulnerable among us.

Mr. Trumps relentless ghettoizing confirms something else that has been obvious for a long time, long before he became president: The United States is not united, especially when the chips are down. The most resources-rich country in the world could not find the wherewithal to warn its people about what was coming, and it continues to bumble basic things like administering tests and acquiring enough ventilators. This is because Republicans have been vilifying the federal government, embedded with the ideal of a common good for a common American people, for the past 40 years. The fact that the most conscientious response to this historic crisis is coming from individual governors, not the White House, may be appalling, but its not surprising.

It was inevitable that the group suffering the highest fatality rate from the virus would be black. Instead of putting that statistic over there, per usual, other Americans have to see themselves within it, because they are at risk, too.

Can we save ourselves? I would like to think so, but the fact that traditional ghettos have not been able to do so it has been structurally impossible does not bode well for our future. I have occasionally been heartened to see all the messages and images of people heroically coming together in very tough times. Americans are good, almost instinctual, at campaigns like this.

But the campaigns are not enough. They are a reaction to the forces of separation, alienation and devaluation that Mr. Trump did not create but that he expands at will, with little pushback. He puts us in ghettos whenever and however he feels like it. The question is when, and how, we will break out of them.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Continued here:

Life in Trumps Coronavirus Ghetto - The New York Times

Pfizer says it will begin testing the experimental vaccine in the United States as early as next week, and says a vaccine could be ready for emergency use in the fall, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Mainz-based BioNTech reported that the first cohort of participants had been given doses of the potential vaccine, BNT162, in a Phase 1/2 clinical study in Germany.

"Twelve study participants have been vaccinated with the vaccine candidate BNT162 in Germany since the start of the study on April 23, 2020," the company said in a statement.

No information on the results is currently available. BioNTech said around 200 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55 years old would be given doses ranging from 1g (microgram) to 100g to find the optimal dose for further studies.

"In addition, the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine will be investigated," added the biotech company.

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to initiate trials for BNT162 in the US on regulatory approval, expected shortly, the statement said.

The German Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Drugs approved the trial -- the country's first clinical trial for a vaccine against Covid 19 -- on April 22.

"The two companies plan to jointly conduct clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine candidates initially in Europe and the U.S., across multiple research sites," Pfizer announced in its first quarter report, published online Tuesday.

"The companies estimate that there is potential to supply millions of vaccine doses by the end of 2020, subject to technical success of the development program and approval by regulatory authorities, and the potential to rapidly scale up the capacity to produce hundreds of millions of doses in 2021."

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Potential coronavirus vaccine being tested in Germany could 'supply millions' by end of year - CNN

Health Secretary Matt Hancock asserted on Friday that it had met a headline-grabbing aim of conducting 100,000 daily Covid-19 tests by the end of April. The figure was 122,347, he said -- although officials conceded that 40,369 of those were sent to people's homes or to satellite testing centers, and had not necessarily been processed by labs.

The government argued, with some justification, that the huge expansion in testing capacity -- up from 10,000 a day at the beginning of April -- was a huge achievement.

But the fact that the target was needed at all, critics say, only served to illustrate the inadequacies of Britain's testing regime in the first place.

"This is an unprecedented global pandemic and we have taken the right steps at the right time to combat it, guided by the best scientific advice," a government spokesperson told CNN, in response to a request to address the criticisms raised in this article. Ministers and officials have been "working day and night to battle coronavirus, delivering a strategy designed to protect our NHS and save lives," the spokesperson said. "We have provided the NHS with all the support it needs, [and] made sure everyone requiring treatment has received it."

But could more have been done to prevent the scale of loss of life? Should ministers have acted sooner? And could there be more transparency in the overall strategy?

A crucial date

Historians might look back on March 12 as the most significant date in Britain's coronavirus response. This was the day the UK formally abandoned the "contain" phase -- an attempt to stop the virus in its tracks by tracking every outbreak and tracing its origins; and moved to the "delay" phase -- an effort to "flatten the curve" and prevent the health service from being overloaded.

As he spoke, tens of thousands of people gathered at the Cheltenham racecourse for its annual festival, an early fixture in England's social calendar. Was that wise, he was asked? "It is very important that we're guided by the science," Johnson said, using a phrase that was to become a favorite of government ministers. "There is very little epidemiological or medical reason at the moment to ban such events."

Johnson's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, admitted that even people with "really quite mild symptoms" could be contagious. Despite this, the chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, agreed with Johnson that canceling large events was "not a major way to tackle this epidemic."

Indeed, the next day, Vallance told BBC Radio 4's flagship morning news program, in a now-infamous interview, that a "key" aim would be to "build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission." Government sources have told CNN that herd immunity was never official policy.

Three key questions

Critics are zeroing in on three key areas as they seek to find out what went wrong in the UK.

First, there was the abandonment of mass testing.

At the start of the outbreak in the UK, public health officials tracked and traced every known case. Ministers have never offered a clear reason for why that policy was abandoned. Was it because the testing capacity had been reached? Was it because the system could not cope with the expected upturn in demand? Was it structural, since the public health system in England has, over the years, gradually been centralized?

"Abandoning testing gave the virus the green light to spread uncontrollably," says the Royal Society of Medicine's Gabriel Scally. "If you don't have access to testing, you won't know that you have an outbreak until a lot of people are ill."

Some in the scientific community say an obsession with central control led officials to set up the testing regime initially in just a few labs, rather than allowing local hospitals to do it themselves.

"Sadly, it seems likely to me that once the government models showed how bad the crisis would be, our testing capacity wouldn't be anywhere near able to cope with the coming surge," a leading microbiologist told CNN on condition of anonymity to describe confidential discussions. "God only knows what their thinking was not telling hospitals to get ready. It was a mistake." Downing Street declined to provide an on-the-record explanation to CNN on this issue.

The second crucial question is whether the government failed to order a lockdown early enough.

Even though the government did not know by that March 12 briefing just how many people were infected, Whitty said it was still too early to lock down because "if people go too early, they become very fatigued." If tough restrictions came too early, the theory went, the British public would begin to tire of it just as they were starting to become effective, and demands for them to be lifted would become impossible to resist.

Government sources defended that course of action to CNN, pointing out that some mitigation measures were put in place between March 12 and the full lockdown on March 23, like advising vulnerable groups to stay at home and requiring people with certain symptoms to self-quarantine.

The third big question is the pursuit of so-called "herd immunity."

"It's not possible to stop everybody getting it," said Vallance at the March 12 briefing. However, the experience of countries like South Korea and Germany, where testing and tracking systems have been significantly more rigorous, and in New Zealand, where lockdown measures were taken at a much earlier stage, suggest that it has been possible to stop quite a large number of people from getting it.

Medical experts both inside and outside the government's circle of trusted advisers have admitted to CNN that they believe the government waited too long to enter lockdown. "Many of the decisions the government has made ignore basic public health science," says Dr. Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at University of Exeter. "From abandoning track and trace, to the timing of the lockdown, to providing the correct protective equipment, ignoring basic public health science may have led to more deaths than necessary."

Pankhania believes that despite government claims it has been guided by science at every step, the decision to delay lockdown was likely "governed by economic consideration, rather than public health science."

This conflict between the government's claim that it has followed the science from day one, and some in the scientific community's skepticism as to how good that evidence is, has become a key battlefield between those inside and outside the UK government.

Following the science

This secrecy has led to speculation from prominent members of the public health community about the quality and breadth of evidence that is reaching the top levels of government. "The government's decisions show no characteristics of public health input. I wouldn't be surprised if the public health voice was marginalized both within SAGE and in government," says Scally, of the Royal Society of Medicine.

It's "driving the public health guys mad," said another scientist who has contributed to the UK's National Risk Register, an overview of the potential threats facing the UK.

Another criticism of the process has been that the government has at times even sidestepped the normal groups of scientific advisers. "Things are moving so fast that they're rather going direct to the modelers," said Openshaw. "The epidemiological modelers have got a very direct line into government."

However trivial it might seem, disagreements between public health experts and scientific modelers are a significant part of the story. "We're seeing a struggle that has been going on for about 20 years between modelers and epidemiologists," a scientist who advises SAGE told CNN on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential government business.

It's no secret that Dominic Cummings, Johnson's top adviser, has a personal interest in scientific modeling. So it's little surprise that public health experts were enraged when the government was forced to admit last week that Cummings had attended SAGE meetings, which are supposed to be independent advisory forums. The government said he attended in order to understand the scientific debate around the virus and its behavior.

Multiple members of SAGE and groups that advise it defended their impartiality to CNN. "The debate is robust, and everyone sets out their case clearly and articulately," said one member, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. "There are lots of people criticizing from the sidelines, but I think it's possible those people are angry they have been left on the sidelines."

A source who advises SAGE said: "Frankly, I find it hard to see that the presence of Cummings makes much difference. We're not talking about shrinking violets."

However, the source went on to express concern at how scientific evidence is being presented. "Science is not homogenous... The best SAGE can do is present imperfect material. The government has been able to take advantage of the public view of science as a voice of certainty, and present some of its decisions as being taken with more concrete certainty than they have."

This has prompted fears that at some time in the future, the government might try hiding behind the science for decisions they've taken -- or worse, throw members of SAGE under a convenient bus. "It certainly does seem to be an anxiety of some of my colleagues, but I am less worried. Many politicians are not exceptional thinkers. Should a public inquiry come, I would be surprised if it's the scientists who do a bad job of making their case," said a member of SAGE.

That public inquiry seems inevitable, once the worst of the crisis is over.

And when it comes, the government will stick to its line that the decision to prioritize the protection of the NHS was the right course of action, and that it succeeded. While it's true the NHS didn't fall over during what look like the worst weeks of the crisis, a cynic might claim that focusing on hospitals ignored what was happening in the wider community.

"People might well reply that it protected the NHS at the expense of shifting deaths elsewhere. Not to mention the physical and mental suffering experienced across the country," said one of the scientists advising SAGE.

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Where did it go wrong for the UK on coronavirus? - CNN

The relationship between Covid-19 and No. 2 has also sparked interest in the White House and at the Department of Homeland Security. In an April 21 document listing DHS unanswered questions about the pandemic, the department raised questions about the novel coronavirus and feces.

[T]he relative contribution of different infection sources fomites, droplets, aerosols, and potentially feces is unknown, the document reads.

John Verrico, a spokesperson for the department's Science and Technology Directorate, said it plans to study "the survivability of the virus in waste (fecal matter), which may inform decontamination processes determined by health officials."

Grevatt noted that a number of major wastewater utilities around the country have begun monitoring for the virus in their inflow. Officials in Newcastle County in Delaware are watching their wastewater for coronavirus RNA, according to CNN, as are professors in Syracuse, N.Y.

Another example is Clean Water Services, a wastewater utility serving the suburbs west of Portland, Ore. Mark Jockers, head of government and public affairs for the utility, said the utility is working with the startup Biobot to collect and analyze samples with its primary interest being to track the relative increase or decrease of evidence of COVID-19 in the samples over time. His utility is also working with researchers at Oregon State University to do finer-scale sampling in hopes of tracking the virus at specific sources like schools, hospitals and retirement homes.

Newsha Ghaeli, co-founder and president of Biobot, said in an interview that starting in late March, her company started collecting samples of wastewater from 170 treatment plants in 37 states, including Massachusetts, New York and Washington, and have been generating and sharing with local municipalities weekly case estimates of how much evidence of the virus is in the samples. Ghaeli said her company aims to help officials get early warnings if the virus appears to be reemerging so that they can try to contain new outbreaks.

"What makes wastewater epidemiology such a great addition to the surveillance framework that communities are putting together right now [is] because it's such a quick and relatively inexpensive way to get trend data or get a pulse on the scope of the outbreak in communities and understand how it's trending over time," she said.

Meanwhile, members of the White House coronavirus task force have had at least one conversation about the potential for aerosolized feces to spread the virus in buildings. Two sources with knowledge of the conversation told POLITICO that when members gathered for a meeting earlier this year, they discussed concerns about problematic plumbing systems sending high levels of fecal matter into the air. Those airborne feces could then be sucked into vents and spread throughout buildings.

According to the sources, the White House task force members who discussed the matter discounted the possibility that the illness has spread this way in New York, the city with the highest infection rate by far in the U.S.

They also discussed whether this potential method of contamination could affect the spread of the virus in Asia. One of the sources said it was not seen as a major concern in the U.S., however.

The concern isnt hypothetical; in 2003, officials said SARS also a type of coronavirus appeared to have spread in one large Hong Kong apartment building through malfunctioning bathroom pipes, according to a Washington Post report.

When the bathroom was in use, with the door closed and the exhaust fan switched on, there could be negative pressure to extract contaminated droplets into the bathroom, a top Hong Kong health official told the Post back then. Contaminated droplets could then have been deposited on various surfaces such as floor mats, towels, toiletries and other bathroom equipment.

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Poop could help stop the pandemic. Really. - POLITICO

The Department of Homeland Security study on the effects of heat and sunlight on the coronavirus is undergoing the process for peer review and publication in scientific journals, according to the department.

There is no written report as yet, although the results are being submitted for peer review and publication in scientific journals, a DHS spokesperson told CNN.

DHS' Science and Technology Directorate has been studying theimpacts of environmental conditions on the coronavirus,particularlytheimpacts of temperature, humidity, and sunlight on the virus.

The study came under increased scrutiny after President Trumpsuggested last week during a press briefing that the virus could be treated with sunlight, as well aswhether disinfectants could be used to treat the virus in humans.

During last week's briefing, William Bryan, acting DHS Science and Technology under secretary, discussed the experiments in which, he said, disinfectants like bleach and isopropyl alcohol quickly killed the virus.Trump then mused about whether disinfectantscould be used to treat the virus in humans.

When asked why the department released the results before the final study, a spokesperson said, "We felt it important to share information on the emerging trends that are being identified in our tests," saying that the results are still undergoing a "rigorous scientific review."

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Coronavirus pandemic in the US: Live updates - CNN

Wendy Silverstein never thought shed leave New York City for good. The 58-year-old design publicist has called her beloved East Village apartment home for 30 years.

But then COVID-19 threatened her husband, John Crellin, a 71-year-old retired architect with a chronic health condition. So on March 18, as the specter of the coronavirus loomed, she scoured their East Fourth Street apartment for enough clothes and supplies to last roughly a year. A few days later, they drove 2 hours north to Canaan, NY, a tiny town in Columbia County where her stepdaughter works as a veterinarian.

For now, Silverstein and Crellin have been able to stay rent-free in a red-sided house owned by a friends friend. But they plan to stay longer because one thing thats become clear as they settle into life outside the city is that theyre probably not coming back. Even if its deemed safe to return, theyve become disillusioned.

I dont love New York now more than ever. Thats the first time I ever felt that way, Silverstein says. Do I in the future rent out my apartment in the city? A lot of work I could do remotely. Where do I want to live?

Many Gothamites have fled the five boroughs for safer havens from vacation homes in the Hamptons to parents basements in the Midwest until the coronavirus risks pass. But now diehard New Yorkers, some of whom had never even considered leaving the city before, are thinking about staying away for the long haul.

Take stay-at-home-mom Stephanie Ellis, who left her Greenwich Village apartment with her husband, Paul, a 36-year-old ad sales exec, and their 16-month-old son, Nolan, on March 12, with just one days notice. The couple had received an initial offer for their Manhattan pad just days prior, but didnt have a set idea as to what came after. They were going to rent a larger apartment in the city for a year or two before deciding where to move, but the threat of COVID-19 convinced them to beat a hasty retreat.

The Ellises took up temporary residence in Stephanies mothers house in Marlboro, NJ. Now we have no idea if or when well go back to the city, says Stephanie, a 33-year-old former teacher. If we decide not to go back to the city, we also have no idea where we would go. They are working with an adviser to figure out their next stop; top choices include staying nearby in Jersey or possibly decamping to the West Coast.

New York Citys largest moving company, Dumbo Moving + Storage, reported that moves were up 11 percent this March compared with last, which is unusual because people dont typically move this time of year, says CEO and founder Lior Rachmany. The peak moving season begins in May, which is why this increase in moves is strictly due to COVID-19, adds Rachmany, who is seeing many folks leaving the Upper West Side and West Harlem for less dense outposts both near (Staten Island, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut) and far (Massachusetts and Washington, DC).

Real estate investor Ed Teig, 40, didnt hesitate to leave his Midtown East apartment on April 1 to rent a house in Larchmont, NY, on five days notice. It was nearly impossible to avoid contact with people [in the city] during the pandemic, says Teig. We have two young kids, and we found it very difficult to take them outside and not be near other families. Theyre paying $8,000 a month in Westchester, which Teig estimates is about 25 percent more than usual rates.

Like Silverstein and Crellin, and the Ellises, the Teigs dont intend to return to the city. They bought a plot of land in nearby Rye Brook, NY, and are building a house; it could be ready as soon as this summer.

Other worried urbanites are attempting to secure rentals north, west and east of the city, but inventory is proving insufficient to meet pandemic-fueled demand.

People are dying to rent something, trying to convince sellers to rent short-term, but they dont want to infect their houses, says Stan Kay, an agent with Keller Williams in Short Hills, NJ. Rentals usually make up about 5 to 10 percent of his business, he adds, but lately, roughly 40 percent of inbound inquiries are for rentals.

Concerned about the coronavirus rapid spread in a dense metropolis, Nick Farina, a 32-year-old quantum computing CEO, took action. He, his wife, Hannah Parnes, 31, their Havanese pup, Rocco, and their friend with pre-existing conditions, Dave Ferguson, 58, left Crown Heights on March 13 for a rental house in Litchfield County, Conn. They were able to secure a large home for close to the same monthly rate they were paying for their 700-square-foot apartment and signed a 45-day lease in less than one day. (Theyve since signed on for six additional months.)

This is usually the time of year that people get moving on their [suburban] town search. But in the last month, we have seen an unprecedented surge. We are close to a 40 percent increase from last year. People are very nervous. They feel stuck.

Real estate brokers and in some cases even local officials are urging homeowners to accommodate the surge in interest.

Lack of supply is why coronavirus escapees are willing to look beyond the standard commuter distance for longer-term rentals, particularly as remote work is likely to be the norm for the foreseeable future. The Catskills town of Woodstock, NY, for example, has 400 short-term rentals. Town supervisor Bill McKenna is encouraging residents to offer months-long opportunities to accommodate desperate city folks. Agents around the region are also converting vacant homes listed for sale into rentals.

Those who cant rent, though, buy: Some ex-New Yorkers have taken the plunge and bought properties in tristate-area suburbs including Greenwich, Conn. when rentals werent available. (Low interest rates, around 3 percent, help.)

This is usually the time of year that people get moving on their [suburban] town search, says Alison Bernstein, founder of Suburban Jungle, a real estate advisory and tech platform that helps families transition out of urban hubs. But in the last month, we have seen an unprecedented surge. We are close to a 40 percent increase from last year. People are very nervous. They feel stuck.

On March 13, Katherine King bade farewell to her tight-knit community on the Upper East Side to relocate with her husband and their three sons to a long-term rental house on the north shore of Long Island. They were able to secure a perch in Lloyd Harbor, where she grew up, because they started looking a few days ahead of the bigger exodus at the end of the March and into April. While King misses the city, shes also contemplating what life out East could look like more permanently.

I dont know that Ill return full-time to the city again, says King, 49, a cultural coach. I want to stay in the moment and take everything step by step.

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These New Yorkers fleeing coronavirus vow they'll never return - New York Post

She was just 12 when she dropped out of school and began clocking in for endless shifts at one of the garment factories springing up in Bangladesh, hoping to pull her family out of poverty.

Her fingers ached from stitching pants and shirts destined for sale in the United States and Europe, but the $30 the young woman made each month meant that for the first time, her family had regular meals, even luxuries like chicken and milk.

A decade later, she was providing a better life for her own child than she had ever imagined.

Then the world locked down, and Shahida Khatun, like millions of low-wage workers around the world, found herself back in the poverty she thought she had left behind.

In a matter of mere months, the coronavirus has wiped out global gains that took two decades to achieve, leaving an estimated two billion people at risk of abject poverty. However indiscriminate the virus may be in its spread, it has repeatedly proven itself anything but that when it comes to its effect on the world's most vulnerable communities.

The garment factory helped me and my family to get out of poverty, said Ms. Khatun, 22, who was laid off in March. But the coronavirus has pushed me back in.

For the first time since 1998, the World Bank says, global poverty rates are forecast to rise. By the end of the year, half a billion people may be pushed into destitution, largely because of the pandemic, the United Nations estimates.

Ms. Khatun was among thousands of women across South Asia who took factory jobs and, as they entered the work force, helped the world made inroads against poverty.

Now those gains are at grave risk.

These stories, of women entering the workplace and bringing their families out of poverty, of programs lifting the trajectories of families, those stories will be easy to destroy, said Abhijit Banerjee, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize for economics.

While everyone will suffer, the developing world will be hardest hit. The World Bank estimates that sub-Saharan Africa will see its first recession in 25 years, with nearly half of all jobs lost across the continent. South Asia will most likely experience its worst economic performance in 40 years.

Most at risk are people working in the informal sector, which employs two billion people who have no access to benefits like unemployment assistance or health care. In Bangladesh, one million garment workers like Ms. Khatun 7 percent of the countrys work force, and many of them informally employed lost their jobs because of the global lockdowns.

For Ms. Khatun, whose husband was also laid off, that means that the familiar pangs of hunger are once again filling her days, and she runs into debt with a local grocer to manage even one scant meal of roti and mashed potato a day.

The financial shock waves could linger even after the virus is gone, experts warn. Countries like Bangladesh, which spent heavily on programs to improve education and provide health care, may no longer be able to fund them.

There will be groups of people who climbed up the ladder and will now fall back, Mr. Banerjee, the M.I.T. professor, said. There were so many fragile existences, families barely stitching together an existence. They will fall into poverty, and they may not come out of it.

The gains now at risk are a stark reminder of global inequality and how much more there is to be done. In 1990, 36 percent of the worlds population, or 1.9 billion people, lived on less than $1.90 a day. By 2016, that number had dropped to 734 million people, or 10 percent of the worlds population, largely because of progress in South Asia and China.

Since 2000, Bangladesh brought 33 million people 20 percent of its population out of poverty while funding programs that provided education to girls, increased life expectancy and improved literacy.

Famines that once plagued South Asia are now vanishingly rare, and the population less susceptible to disease and starvation.

But that progress may be reversed, experts worry, and funding for anti-poverty programs may be cut as governments struggle with stagnant growth rates or economic contractions as the world heads for a recession.

The tragedy is, its cyclical, said Natalia Linos, executive director of Harvard Universitys Franois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. Poverty is a huge driver of disease, and illness is one of the big shocks that drive families into poverty and keep them there.

When it comes to a pandemic like the coronavirus outbreak, Ms. Linos said, the poor are even more outmatched than people with means. They cannot afford to stock up on food, which means they must go more frequently to stores, increasing their exposure. And even if they have jobs, they are unlikely to able to work from home.

A resolution that committed the United Nations to eliminating poverty and hunger and providing access to education for all by 2030 may now be a pipe dream.

More than 90 countries have asked the International Monetary Fund for assistance. But with all countries hurting, well-to-do nations may be too strapped to provide the aid the developing world needs or offer debt forgiveness, which some countries and aid organizations are calling for.

To avoid having large chunks of their population slipping into devastation, countries need to spend more, Mr. Banerjee said. In times of crises, like after World War II, economies rebounded because governments stepped in with big spending packages like the Marshall Plan.

But so far, economic stimulus packages and support for those newly out of work have been weak or nonexistent in much of the developing world.

While the United States has committed nearly $3 trillion in economic stimulus packages to help the poor and small businesses, India plans to spend just $22.5 billion on its population of 1.3 billion four times the size of Americas. Pakistan, the worlds fifth-largest country, has committed about $7.5 billion, far less than Japans $990 billion stimulus package.

In Bangladesh this week, several hundred garment factories decided to reopen a move almost certain to worsen the countrys coronavirus caseload.

Ms. Khatuns employer, however, remains shuttered.

The owner told employees that even after the pandemic, he may no longer have work for them. The demand for clothing in Western countries may drop if people have less to spend, he said.

Ms. Khatun worries she and her family will be evicted from the small room they rent, with a bathroom and kitchen they share with neighbors.

If they are thrown out, she said, they will return to the village she left a decade ago as a child determined to to improve her lot in life.

My only dream was to ensure a proper education for my son, she said. I wanted people to say, Look, although his mother worked for a garment factory, her son is well educated and has a good job.

That dream is now going to disappear.

Julfikar Ali Manik contributed reporting from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

See the article here:

Millions Had Risen Out of Poverty. Coronavirus Is Pulling Them Back. - The New York Times

Are there COVID-19 coronaviruses lurking in your laundry? (Photo: Getty)

Assuming that you wear clothes, you may have been wondering how long the COVID-19 coronavirus may stay on your various garments. After all, clothing is what typically keeps many of your body parts away from everything else. The answer though is a bit like Miley Cyruss wardrobe: complicated.

When it comes to estimating how long the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may stay on objects, many have referred to a research letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research letter reported the results of a study that tested how long the SARS-CoV2 could remain detectable in the air and on surfaces. This included the virus remaining in the air for up to three hours, on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on plastic and stainless steel for up to two to three days. Youll notice that most typical clothing materials are not on this list, unless you happen to wear a suit of copper armor or a cardboard box.

So which of the items is most like your clothes? Well, as suggested by an article in New York Times by Tara Parker-Pope who talked to an aerosol scientist and a pediatric infectious disease specialist, it could be cardboard because both can consist of fibers that absorb moisture. The virus needs some moisture to survive. Without it, the virus can quickly dry up and no longer be viable. So should you assume that the virus can survive on your clothes for up to 24 hours? Maybe. Perhaps.

Keep in mind that clothes arent necessarily all fabric. They may have metal or plastic parts like buttons or clasps. Thats certainly the case if your clothes have giant plastic windows on them. In theory, the virus could survive longer on less absorbent portions of your clothes.

Then theres the question of what may happen if your clothes get and stay wet. This may be because of rain, sweat, or excessive tears from the fact that you bought clothes with giant plastic windows on them. If your clothes dont dry quickly, could they harbor viruses for longer periods of time?

There havent been enough studies to tell for sure how long the virus may linger on different articles of clothing. So its probably best to take proper precautions if you think that your clothes have been exposed to the virus.

Your clothes probably won't be exposed to the virus by simply running or walking by yourself. ... [+] (Photo: Getty)

Keep in mind that if youve spent the past few days at home with no one else but your hole-filled undergarments, your clothes in all likelihood have not been exposed to the SARS-CoV2. Similarly, if youve maintained good social distancing while outside and not contacted anything that could be contaminated, chances are your clothes have not been contaminated.

Contamination could occur if either someone who is contagious or a contaminated object touches your clothes. A contagious person coughing, sneezing, or panting close enough to your clothes could also put your clothes at risk. This may be an issue if you are someone who regularly comes into contact with people with COVID-19, such as a caretaker or a health care professional, as Joshua Cohen covered previously for Forbes.

If you suspect contamination, take off your clothes as soon you can after the exposure. If the exposure occurred in a grocery store, do not do this immediately, as this may cause additional problems. Instead, wait until you are actually in a position to legally take off your clothes, such as when you reach your home.

When taking off your clothes, try not to touch your face or contaminate other things with the clothes. This is not the time to touch your finger to your lip to look sultry while undressing. After they are off your body, place your clothes in a safe location where they cant potentially contaminate other things.

Whenever handling any clothes that may have the virus, whether they are your clothes or someone elses, such as someone whom you know has COVID-19, follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for handling at-risk clothing. Wear disposable gloves, if available, and toss them, the gloves and not the clothing, immediately after use. If you only have non-disposable gloves, keep them dedicated to situations where you are touching or disinfecting things that may have the coronavirus. Dont use them subsequently for anything else like cooking or doing face palms. If you have no gloves readily available, keep your hands away from your gigantic face while handling the laundry, and wash your hands thoroughly immediately after touching the laundry.

The CDC also recommends against shaking potentially contaminated laundry, which could spray the virus and other lovely little things into the air. If you have the urge to shake something, shake your booty instead. One exception, dont shake your booty if you are wearing pants that may be contaminated.

Be sure to disinfect or safely dispose of anything the laundry may have in turn contaminated. If this happens to be your booty, take a shower instead. Do not put chemical disinfectants that are meant for objects on or in your body in any way.

Once the suspect clothes are in the washing machine, set the water temperature to the warmest that the clothes can handle. Use appropriate amounts of laundry detergent. Otherwise, you are simply wetting and spinning you clothes, sort of like putting them on a merry-go-round in the rain. Laundry detergent should be able to disrupt the viruss structure, so it should be fine to wash other clothes with the potentially contaminated ones. Once the washing is done, dry your clothes completely, which can serve as an additional way of disrupting the virus.

Take additional precautions when washing your clothes at a laundromat. (Photo: Getty)

All of this may be more challenging if you dont have your own washing machine and dryer. If you must go to a laundromat, be careful about what you and your clothes touch. If possible disinfect all surfaces and objects that you may contact, such as any laundry carts, washer and dyer buttons and handles, and tables used for folding laundry. Make sure that you stay at least six feet away from others. This is not the time for pick-up lines such as the one offered by Rachel Shatto writing for the Elite Daily: Hey, nice folding technique! But Id rather see those clothes crumpled on your floor.

Don't do this. (Photo: Getty)

Theres one set of apparel that requires a different type of care and precautions. No, not your boa, but your shoes. Your shoes are probably not made completely out of fabric. A shoe completely made out of cotton, for example, tends to be called something else: a sock. Plus, who knows what you shoes may be picking up while they are dragging across floors and other surfaces. Moreover, many shoes cant readily go into the washing machine.

When you cant easily and safely launder your shoes, take them off and leave them outside your living quarters. Either do a Mr. Rogers and change to house shoes or go shoe-less while inside your apartment, home, or castle. Dont try any kind of cleaning technique that put you at risk for getting infected. This could in theory happen while you are wiping your shoes with a wet towel that may end up spraying some contaminated droplets into the air.

Again, dont be paranoid about your clothes. Simply going outside is not going to allow your clothes to catch the virus from the air like a big baseball mitt. Nonetheless, if you think that you may have come into contact with the virus, it is a good idea to take appropriate precautions. You dont want this virus to catch you with your pants down.

Read more from the original source:

How Long Does COVID-19 Coronavirus Live On Clothes? How To Wash Them - Forbes

Studies show that coronavirus can live on your shoe soles.

Now that businesses like retail stores and salons are preparing to reopen this month in some states and countries, it's important to know the precautions you should take to prevent the spread of coronavirus -- like wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing and washing your hands frequently. And while you already know that you should be sanitizing your home regularly, should you be doing the same with your clothes and shoes?

COVID-19 can spread from person to person, through respiratory droplets from a cough or sneeze or by touching an infected (usually solid) surface and then touching your face. The virus can even live on some surfaces for longer than nine days. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found coronavirus RNA that had survived in the Diamond Princess cruise ship 17 days after the passengers had departed.

Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the likelihood of you contracting the virus from your clothes is considered rare, especially since there's no evidence that the virus can survive on clothing. On the other hand, if you're a healthcare provider, it may be safest to leave your work clothes and shoes outside until they can be sanitized.

With that said, if you believe you may have come into contact with the virus, or you just want to be cautious, here's what you need to know. Note that this article provides information drawn from the CDC and offers an overview of what we currently know. Recommendations may change over time in light of new research and developments. This story updates often.

Wash your clothes on the warmest setting, if possible.

After you come home from the grocery store, you don't have to change out of your clothes -- especially if you kept a six-foot distance from others at the store. It is recommended that you wash your hands, though. However, if you work at a healthcare facility around COVID-19 patients or think you've been exposed to the virus, it's best to take additional precautions and launder your clothes when you get home.

The CDC recommends that you don't shake your dirty laundry, as this may cause the coronavirus to become airborne again, although it's not certain if it's infectious at that point. Researchers are currently studying whether the coronavirus can be cultivated from airborne RNA particles, the New York Times reports. Remember that the most likely form of transmission is known to be from person to person. So maybe don't plan that dinner party just yet.

You may be wondering if it's safe to wear your shoes into your house after going to the grocery store or other public places. A new study conducted by the CDC at Wuhan hospitals suggests the virus can survive on shoe soles, however, they're unsure if the droplets were still infectious.

The Cleveland Clinic says that while it's possible for the virus to live on your shoes, it's very unlikely for it to be transmitted to you unless you directly touch the infected area and then touch your face.

If you think you encountered someone or a surface that was infected with coronavirus, remove your shoes before walking into your home and then wash your hands immediately. You'll want to spray the shoes with a disinfectant before bringing them inside.

You can leave your shoes outside until they're disinfected.

While the CDC suggests you should use the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely, your clothing label may say otherwise. If the laundry instructions on your clothes say to wash in cold water or line dry only, you should. Since the coronavirus is surrounded by a layer of fatty membrane, your detergent alone should be able to kill the virus. However, if you're still worried about whether or not the virus survived the wash, you can put your clothes in a bag for several days to let the virus die naturally.

While the country may be reopening, we still need to understand what that means for us. Here are 16 practical ways to help stay safe when going out in public, what to do if you think you've contracted the coronavirus and what to know about wearing homemade face masks in public.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Can coronavirus live on your clothes and shoes? Here's what we know - CNET

NEW YORK A New York City nursing home on Friday reported the deaths of 98 residents believed to have had the coronavirus a staggering death toll that shocked public officials.

Its absolutely horrifying, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Its inestimable loss, and its just impossible to imagine so many people lost in one place.

It is hard to say whether the spate of deaths at the Isabella Geriatric Center in Manhattan is the worst nursing home outbreak yet in the U.S., because even within the city facilities have chosen to report fatalities in different ways. A state tally of nursing home deaths released Friday listed only 13 at the home.

But officials at the 705-bed center confirmed that through Wednesday 46 residents who tested positive for COVID-19 had died as well as an additional 52 people suspected to have the virus. Some died at the nursing home and some died after being treated at hospitals.

The number of bodies became so overwhelming the home ordered a refrigerator truck to store them because funeral homes have been taking days to pick up the deceased.

Isabella, like all other nursing homes in New York City, initially had limited access to widespread and consistent in-house testing to quickly diagnose our residents and staff, Audrey Waters, a spokeswoman for the nursing home, wrote in an email. This hampered our ability to identify those who were infected and asymptomatic, despite our efforts to swiftly separate anyone who presented symptoms.

Isabella also encountered staffing shortages, prompting it to hire from outside agencies and early challenges securing personal protective equipment for employees. Waters said the home finally is getting more access to testing now.

The nursing homes death toll was first reported by local cable news station NY1.

Nursing homes have been known since the earliest days of the outbreak as a trouble spot. They have been particularly hard hit in New York, which has had at least 3,065 nursing home deaths by far the most in the nation as of Thursday, according to an Associated Press count.

The state Department of Health said it has received outbreak reports from 239 nursing homes, including at least six facilities with death tolls of 40 patients or more.

The one thing we now know about the nursing homes is the status quo cannot continue to say the least, de Blasio said. Something very different has to happen.

City officials are trying to provide help in every way we can, the mayor added, saying the city had delivered thousands of respirator masks to the Washington Heights facility.

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat, accused Isabella of keeping the public and elected officials in the dark about the outbreak. He sent a letter Friday to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Attorney General Letitia James urging them to investigate the information sharing practices of New York nursing homes.

People deserve to know whats happening, Espaillat said in an interview with AP.

Isabella Geriatric Center said it could not speculate as to why a state survey previously listed only 13 COVID-19 deaths at its facility. It sent a lengthy statement to AP on Friday insisting it truthfully and accurately reported its death toll to state officials.

State officials said they are building an updated data set intended to offer a more detailed window into nursing home deaths. Cuomo referred to a vagueness in some reporting of suspected COVID-19 cases but warned nursing homes not to misrepresent their death tolls.

They submit these numbers under penalty of perjury, Cuomo told reporters. They can be prosecuted criminally for fraud on any of these reporting numbers.

Isabella said it kept family members in the loop about changes in their loved ones conditions despite the circumstances.

When we believe their loved one is nearing death, we do reach out to a residents primary contact and ask if they would like to say goodbye in person or via phone or an app, Waters said. In-person goodbye visits were never interrupted and continue to happen.

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'Absolutely horrifying: New York nursing home reports 98 deaths linked to coronavirus - Press Herald