“We don’t deserve to be shoved back into poorly ventilated workplaces while our politicians and press assure us that only crazy people would demand to breathe clean air,” writes Julia Doubleday.
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In Russia, the pandemic is beating Putin
“A deadly virus can’t be ignored, jailed, exiled or co-opted — nor can it be locked down without great economic cost. That puts President Vladimir Putin of Russia in a bind. The pandemic, perhaps his hardiest foe to date, has starkly revealed the limits of his power,” writes Alexey Kovalev, the investigations editor at Meduza, an independent Russian news outlet.
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The consequences of denying reality
Brazil, 1904: “Senator Rui Barbosa, pigeon-chested and smooth-tongued orator, attacks vaccination using judicial weapons flowery with adjectives. In the name of liberty Rui Barbosa defends the right of every individual to be contaminated if he so desires. Torrential applause, thunderous ovations interrupt him from phrase to phrase.”
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Ed Yong: How the coronavirus pandemic will end
“A global pandemic of this scale was inevitable. In recent years, hundreds of health experts have written books, white papers, and op-eds warning of the possibility.”
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The world’s fastest supercomputer identified chemicals that could stop coronavirus from spreading, a crucial step toward a treatment
“The novel coronavirus presents an unprecedented challenge for scientists: The speed at which the virus spreads means they must accelerate their research. But this is what the world’s fastest supercomputer was built for.” CNN explains.
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Rethinking and reframing: Let’s aim for physical rather than social distancing
“Isolation can be toxic. Let’s increase physical distance, but stay connected,: writes Dr. Kenneth E. Miller.
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Trump’s incompetence results in federal agencies waiting for orders as pandemic rapidly worsens
Unlike several years ago, when President Barack Obama ordered the Department of Defense to mobilize to respond to the ebola outbreak, Donald Trump has failed to involve the military in the United States’ response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus pandemic.
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Republican America isn’t prepared for the coronavirus crisis
“[T]he Pavlovian urge to win the short-term news cycle, own the libs and defend the economic interests of corporate America and Trump’s re-election are combining with the predilection for conspiracy-minded thinking on the right.”
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“It will go away”: A timeline of Trump playing down the coronavirus threat
“Trump gambled very early and very often on the idea that the coronavirus wouldn’t turn out to be nearly as severe as some health officials have warned it could get,” Aaron Blake writes.
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Archdiocese of Seattle suspends liturgies, tells region’s Catholics: Don’t come to church
“I am going to ask that all of our parishes in western Washington, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, effective today, suspend the celebration publicly of the Eucharist,” Archbishop Etienne said.
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For Trump, coronavirus proves to be an enemy he can’t tweet away
“A president who is at his strongest politically when he has a human target to attack has found it harder to confront a growing outbreak that has rattled the country,” The New York Times assesses.
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Governor Jay Inslee appears on CBS’ Face the Nation to talk about coronavirus response with Margaret Brennan
Read a transcript of Governor Jay Inslee’s appearance on one of the nation’s major Sunday morning talk shows.
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Looking at how diseases spread, canceling SXSW was the right call
“No doubt canceling SXSW was a tough call for the city,” data scientist Spencer Fox writes. “But public health concerns must take priority.”
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Inside China’s all-out war on the novel coronavirus
Via The New York Times: “Dr. Bruce Aylward, of the World Health Organization got a rare glimpse into Beijing’s campaign to stop the epidemic. Here’s what he saw.”
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John Oliver tackles coronavirus myths and scams on Last Week Tonight
As coronavirus spreads to the United States, John Oliver discusses what’s being done to fight the illness, what’s gone wrong, and how to stay safe.
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U.S. military to provide equipment, resources to battle Ebola epidemic in Africa It’s about time! President Barack Obama has announced that the United States military
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LaunchWhy Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes The BBC reports on one of Finland’s most cherished (and cool) public services: “For seventy-five years, Finland’s expectant
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