There’s a lot going on. Here are today’s COVID-19 updates that you should know.
Your daily dose of hope
Covid-19 patients who are receiving an experimental drug called remdesivir are showing quick recovery rates, with most patients going home within days. While Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medicine gives reason for great hope, doctors and scientists note that far more data is needed.
A million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by British scientists at Oxford University are already being manufactured, even before trials prove whether the shot is effective, the team said.
The lack of available testing is a hurdle that nobody seems to be able to solve. However, the next generation of tests being developed by the University of California, San Francisco Medical School and Mammoth Biosciences are demonstrating faster, cheaper, and easier results.
News you need to know
The Paycheck Protection Program, which was a loan program designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll in the United States has run out of money. The program lent out $349 billion in less than two weeks – laying bare the dire economic situation amid COVID-19.
China has revised their death tolls, admitting that approximately 50% more people died in Wuhan of COVID-19 than previously noted, bringing the total for Wuhan to 3,869. The number of infections was revised up by 325 to 50,333.
Indonesia’s government faced criticism for not testing earlier and for not implementing strict social distancing and travel restrictions. They now have the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.
The total number of confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed 2 million.
As President Trump backs off his promises that testing would be available for every American, he is also stating that the “re-opening” of America will happen soon, and that each governor has the authority to do so at their will. This has added further confusion and fear throughout the states, each of which is grappling with different COVID-19 issues and projections.
Quote of the day:
“The world will be saved and remade by the dreamers.” – Sarah J. Maas
