June 3, 2020 — A roundup of the latest news about COVID-19
Nationwide protests against police brutality and racism may spur a resurgence of the virus. What happened behind the scenes at the CDC in the early days of the outbreak? And a young survivor of a severe case of COVID-19 shares his video diary. Catch up on the latest coronavirus news:
The protests against police brutality and racism that have spread across the United States since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have spurred fears of a resurgence of the virus. The billowing clouds of tear gas that the authorities are sending through protest crowds across the United States may increase the risk that the coronavirus could spread through the gatherings. An Associated Press review found that demonstrations have taken place in every one of the 25 U.S. communities with the highest concentrations of new cases. Some have seen major protests over multiple days, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. If you’re set on protesting, how can you protect yourself from these dangers?
Early mistakes in testing, aging data systems, clashes with President Trump, and an overly cautious culture shook confidence in the CDC, the nation’s premier public health agency.
Vaccine updates: The U.S. should have 100 million doses of one candidate vaccine by the end of the year, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday. But even as companies recruit tens of thousands of people for larger vaccine studies this summer, behind the scenes scientists are still testing ferrets, monkeys, and other animals in hopes of clues to some basic questions — steps that in a pre-pandemic era would have been finished first.
What’s it like to recover from a severe case of COVID-19? Francis Wilson survived after 10 days on a ventilator, but the 29-year-old’s recovery has been slow. Doctors are still beginning to understand the long-term effects of the virus.
Things are starting to look up in New York state. Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the “number of new [coronavirus] cases walking in the door is at an all-time low.” In New York City, contact tracers hired to contain the spread of the coronavirus reached out to all of the roughly 600 people who tested positive for the virus citywide on Monday, the first day of the program, and succeeded in reaching more than half of them.
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist showed contrition today as criticism mounted over the Scandinavian country’s hotly debated method of fighting the coronavirus, which has resulted in one of the highest death rates per capita in the world.
South Korea on Wednesday reported 49 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a weekslong resurgence of the virus as the government defended its decision to reopen schools despite health risks.
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