Italy Hits Grim Milestone, Trump Wants Professional Sports Back By August or September, First Bank Closure in U.S. During Pandemic
Also, some numbers to put the coronavirus pandemic into historical context with other events.
The Butcher’s Bill
1,141,190 confirmed cases worldwide
234,775 recovered worldwide
60,960 deaths worldwide
Data is current as of 10:00 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Sources: Johns Hopkins, U.S. data is from the New York Times, Italian data is from the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile, Spanish data is from the Ministerio de Sanidad.
NOTE: Some of the Johns Hopkins data is broken down to the state or provincial level, rather than a figure for the entire country. In these cases, the data is marked in the column as N/A.
To see the full list of data, go to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center. I also recommend checking out the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Situation Dashboard. Italy’s Department of Civil Protection has its own Italian-centric version of the Johns Hopkins website which you can view here.
15K Dead in Italy, Spain Has Second-Most Number of Coronavirus Cases Worldwide
Some observations about the numbers from the past 24 hours:
§ The number of cases in the United States has grown by almost 77,000 in the past three days.
§ Italy reaches 15,000 deaths mark, though their number of cases appears to be leveling off.
§ Spain surpasses Italy in total number of cases for second-most worldwide, although Italy has almost 4,000 more deaths.
§ Germany and France pass China in number of cases.
§ Turkey passes Switzerland in number of cases.
If you aren’t following him on Twitter, CNN’s Ryan Struyk is doing a terrific job keeping track of the numbers and putting them in context:
How Washington Screwed Up the Preparation Time and Response to the Coming Pandemic
The Washington Post published its findings of a massive investigation into how the federal government failed at various steps to take actions that would mitigate or slow down the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The whole thing is a must-read, but here’s an excerpt:
The failure has echoes of the period leading up to 9/11: Warnings were sounded, including at the highest levels of government, but the president was deaf to them until the enemy had already struck.
The Trump administration received its first formal notification of the outbreak of the coronavirus in China on Jan. 3. Within days, U.S. spy agencies were signaling the seriousness of the threat to Trump by including a warning about the coronavirus — the first of many — in the President’s Daily Brief.
And yet, it took 70 days from that initial notification for Trump to treat the coronavirus not as a distant threat or harmless flu strain well under control, but as a lethal force that had outflanked America’s defenses and was poised to kill tens of thousands of citizens. That more-than-two-month stretch now stands as critical time that was squandered.
If journalism is the first draft of history, consider this story (and others like it) a road map for a future Coronavirus Commission to follow in trying to reconstruct the government’s mistakes in handling this pandemic.
Florida Cut Public Health and Epidemiology Jobs for Years before Coronavirus Outbreak
Another example of how people were raising the alarm fifteen years ago about a potential pandemic, in this case hitting Florida. An investigation by the Tampa Bay Times found that state-level efforts to prepare for a future crisis were “dismantled by governors and lawmakers more worried about the bottom line.” The paper points the finger directly at Rick Scott, the two-term governor of Florida who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, noting that most of the cuts happened during his tenure. Between 2011 and 2019, the state was hit by a tuberculosis outbreak, Zika virus, and a spread of Hepatitis A.
Stay-At-Home Orders in Effect in All But Eight States
Andrew Cuomo Conscripts Graduating Med School Students to the Front Lines
Trump Wants Sports Seasons Back on Track by August or September
From ESPN:
In a conference call with major league sports commissioners on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he believes the NFL season should start on time in September, sources familiar with the call told ESPN.
Trump also said he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, although it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic.
"I want fans back in the arenas," Trump said later in a briefing at the White House. "I think it's ... whenever we're ready. As soon as we can, obviously. And the fans want to be back, too. They want to see basketball and baseball and football and hockey. They want to see their sports. They want to go out onto the golf courses and breathe nice, clean, beautiful fresh air.
The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein makes an interesting observation: Trump is setting up a potential clash for the fall just before the election where team owners might want to get back to business as usual, but local Democratic governors and mayors (especially in big cities which tend to have sports franchises) might object for public health reasons. It’s worth noting that governors and mayors would have final say on what opens or remains shut down, not the federal government. Also worth noting that about half of all NFL teams are in states with Democratic governors.
How Does the Coronavirus Pandemic Compare to Other Historical Events?
I spent several hours compiling data from a variety of sources comparing the COVID-19 death toll with other wars and disasters in American history, but was unable to include it in the newsletter due to issues with Substack. I still think this information provides important context, especially as the death toll continues to rise. You can read it here as a PDF document. Feel free to circulate it and cite it in academic or journalistic research.
Wall Street Update
West Virginia Bank Is First to Shut Down During Pandemic
The First State Bank, of Barboursville, W.Va., shuttered its doors yesterday and went into receivership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the government agency that has insured every bank since 1933. To my knowledge, this is the first bank in the country to close down during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to FDIC records, the previous bank failure happened on February 14, before the lockdowns and quarantines began.
During the last recession, many of these small local banks were shutting down on a regular basis. The question now is if this West Virginia bank is a one-off incident or a harbinger of things to come.
Portugal Gives Migrants and Asylum Seekers Full Citizenship Rights During COVID-19 Crisis
An interesting approach by the Portuguese as a possible solution to keep the virus under control among part of its population that might not get medical care otherwise, though keep in mind it is only temporary. From CNN:
(CNN) - Portugal has temporarily given all migrants and asylum seekers full citizenship rights, granting them full access to the country's healthcare as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus escalates in the country.
The move will "unequivocally guarantee the rights of all the foreign citizens" with applications pending with Portuguese immigration, meaning they are "in a situation of regular permanence in National Territory," until June 30, the Portuguese Council of Ministers said on Friday.
The Portuguese Council of Ministers explained that the decision was taken to "reduce the risks for public health" of maintaining the current scheduling of appointments at the immigration office, for both the border agents and the migrants and asylum seekers.
Historic Spanish Fortress Town Cuts Itself Off to Keep Virus Out
Amazing story from CNN:
Cordoba, Spain (CNN) -- The fortress town of Zahara de la Sierra in southern Spain is used to fending off enemies. The Moors and Christians fought over it in medieval times, and it was sacked by the French in 1812. Now its formidable position high above the Andalusian countryside has suddenly become an invaluable asset once more.
On March 14, Zahara cut itself off from the outside world as a dangerous coronavirus spread its tentacles across Spain. The mayor, 40-year-old Santiago Galván, decided to block all but one of the town's five entrances. Galván acted the day that Spain's "state of alarm" came into force.
…
In Zahara, however, there has not been a single recorded case of Covid-19 among its 1,400 inhabitants. "It has been more than two weeks, and I think that's a good sign," Galván told CNN.
The mayor's drastic steps have the full support of the townspeople, and especially the elderly. Nearly a quarter of Zahara's inhabitants are older than 65; there are more than 30 residents in an old people's home. Towns and villages nearby have seen infections and several coronavirus fatalities.
Think Tank Argues China Should Be Sued for Trillions in Damages for Its Handling of Coronavirus
China should be sued for trillions of dollars under international law for its initial handling and cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic, a report from a British think tank to be published tomorrow will say. The Henry Jackson Society, a conservative think tank based in London notes, that damages to the G7 for costs spent in propping up their economies and trying to contain the virus should be for at least $6.5 trillion. The organization argues that the Chinese government could be sued through as many as ten different possible legal avenues.
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“What’s true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well.
It helps men to rise above themselves.”
Albert Camus, The Plague