Sunday, May 10th, 2020
“Models predicting the potential spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have become a fixture of American life. Yet each model tells a different story about the devastation to come, making it hard to know which one is “right.” But COVID-19 models aren’t made to be unquestioned oracles. They’re not trying to tell us one precise future, but rather the range of possibilities given the facts on the ground.
One of their more sober tasks is predicting the number of Americans who will die due to COVID-19. FiveThirtyEight — with the help of the Reich Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst — has assembled six models published by infectious disease researchers to illustrate possible trajectories of the pandemic’s death toll. In doing so, we hope to make them more accessible, as well as highlight how the assumptions underlying the models can lead to vastly different estimates. Here are the models’ U.S. fatality projections for the coming weeks.”
FDA approves first coronavirus antigen test for emergency use The Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization Friday for a coronavirus antigen test. The test, produced by San Diego-based manufacturer Quidel, can diagnose COVID-19 by detecting fragments of protein found on or within the virus present in samples collected from the naval cavity using swabs. The test produces results within minutes — much more quickly than many other tests on the market — but the technology is also more liable to result false negatives, so an PCR test may be necessary to confirm. But once production ramps up, so will the country’s ability to test millions of Americans per day. Source: CNBC
U.S. tightens restrictions on visas for Chinese journalists The Department of Homeland Security said Friday the United States will shorten the visa length for Chinese journalists working for non-American news outlets to 90 days. Previously, journalists with Chinese passports were granted open-ended visas. They can apply for extensions, but renewed visas will also last just 90 days. It’s the latest development in a media war between Washington and Beijing which has intensified during the coronavirus pandemic. American officials said the rules were meant to counterbalance the “suppression of independent journalism” in China, whose government expelled journalists from prominent U.S. publications in March. Before that, the U.S. reduced the number of Chinese citizens employed by five state-controlled Chinese news organizations allowed to work in the country. The 90-day limit won’t apply to reporters from Hong Kong, Macao, or to mainland Chinese citizens who hold green cards. Source: The Washington Post
Some other interesting stories:
https://www.businessinsider.com/state-coronavirus-cases-show-too-soon-to-reopen-2020-5
artificial stupid 