WSJ: US round-up: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-latest-news-08-25-2020-11598344983 . News on South Korea, India and New Zealand is in last paragraphs.
FDA chief walks back plasma comments: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/25/fda-chief-walks-back-comments-on-effectiveness-of-coronavirus-plasma-treatment.html . The chaos of injecting politics into a public health crisis continues.
More on racial disparities in hospitalizations: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/health/covid-19-hospitalizations-racial-ethnic-disparities-study/index.html .
The re-infection case and immunity: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/8/24/21399041/covid-19-reinfection-hong-kong-case-immunity . A key point: It’s one case. Generalizations about COVID-19 and the immune system should come after more re-infections are identified and studied. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/researchers-report-covid-19-reinfection-in-hong-kong-11598295631 .
WSJ: Lingering COVID-19 effects may stress health insurance costs: https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-many-pandemic-victims-lingering-effects-stress-insurance-coverage-11598347801 .
WSJ: Lingering COVID-19 effects in children: https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-child-covid-cases-rise-doctors-watch-for-potential-long-term-effects-11598289636 .
Money talks: The global scramble for vaccines: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02450-x .
WSJ: Testing failures publicized by NFL experience: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-nfl-saw-an-outbreak-instead-it-learned-about-testing-failures-11598277802 .
PPP fraud cases multiply: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ppp-paycheck-protetion-program-fraud-cases-rising/ . Is oversight a bygone idea?
Trump’s executive orders so far providing limited relief: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/08/21/trump-unemployment/?ocid=uxbndlbing .
Major expansion of remote work expected post-pandemic: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-08-24/one-third-of-companies-will-have-half-of-workforce-remote-post-pandemic-study-finds?src=usn_nl_coronavirus .
COVID-19 goes to college: Is it okay to be drunk at the football games?: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2020-08-24/ua-president-unacceptable-rise-in-covid-cases-on-campus?src=usn_nl_coronavirus . And: https://theeagle.com/news/texas-a-m-launches-covid-19-dashboard-reports-358-positive-tests-aug-16-22/article_ceca8b08-e718-11ea-9e93-9bf8b637980e.html . No. 13 Texas A&M is scheduled to play at No. 3 Alabama October 3. Good luck with that. Oh, and since Ohio State, Oregon and Wisconsin aren’t playing this year, it’s now No. 9 at No. 2: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29731277/ap-top-25-clemson-no-1-followed-ohio-state-alabama .
WSJ: NYC schools given option to hold class outdoors: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-mayor-offers-schools-option-to-hold-classes-outdoors-11598285053 .
Federal furloughs for immigration personnel: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-08-24/legal-immigration-system-faces-crisis-as-imminent-uscis-furloughs-loom?src=usn_nl_coronavirus . And this is because … the 3 miles of new wall are working? A disproportionate number of US jobs are created by immigrant entrepreneurs: https://behavioralscientist.org/how-immigrants-drive-entrepreneurship-invention-innovation/ . Same in Canada: https://www.cicnews.com/2019/04/new-study-finds-immigrant-owned-businesses-created-disproportionate-number-of-jobs-in-canada-0412234.html#gs.efaj58 .
WSJ: Post Office hearings continue: https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-to-again-press-dejoy-on-postal-changes-voting-by-mail-11598277930 .
WSJ: Large retailers’ defenses against Amazon helped them in pandemic: https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-box-stores-worried-about-amazon-were-ready-for-coronavirus-11598273456 .
WSJ: Pandemic clauses in new leases: https://www.wsj.com/articles/retail-landlords-offer-pandemic-clauses-in-new-leases-11598347800 .
Europe vs. US: Jobs vs. workers: https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-the-covid-19-recession-europe-props-up-jobs-while-the-u-s-props-up-workers-11598271229 . As to the two subsidy approaches, Europe’s is clearly less disruptive short-term than the US’s. Because we’ve failed to contain the virus, the longer-term results of this “experiment” will not be definitive as to the superior economic approach. Without additional relief in the US, we are likely to face much greater economic disruption in the coming months.
WSJ: China: Economy is rebounding and gaining on US: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-economy-is-bouncing-backand-gaining-ground-on-the-u-s-11598280917 .
China: TikTok sues over forced sale: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-tiktok-lawsuit/tiktok-sues-trump-over-threatened-us-ban-calling-it-an-election-ploy-idUSKBN25K1SH . With the election November 3, is TikTok trying to run the clock on the Trump administration? WSJ: TikTok investors press for sale to Oracle: https://www.wsj.com/articles/general-atlantic-sequoia-capital-are-key-drivers-in-oracle-bid-for-tiktok-11598310734 .
UK: Face masks in schools “possible”: https://apnews.com/76e2966d0108446e934a63dc28101739 .
France: Once again*, nudists need to wear masks: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-08-24/french-libertine-nudist-resort-sees-spike-in-covid-infections?src=usn_nl_coronavirus . * See News for July 3. The French situation may be driven more by “libertine” than “nudist”.
German experimental concert tests virus spread: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/08/24/905534790/german-experiment-tests-how-coronavirus-spreads-at-a-concert . Only a third of expected participants showed up. What, they had somewhere else to go?
Brazilian indigenous community beats COVID-19 with contact tracing app: https://slate.com/technology/2020/08/kuikuro-contact-tracing-upper-xingu.html .
More than a trillion tons of ice lost ANNUALLY: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/23/earth-lost-28-trillion-tonnes-ice-30-years-global-warming . A British ton, or “long ton” is 2,240 pounds and so equals 1.12 US tons, or “short ton”. A “tonne” is a metric ton, or 1000 kilograms, and comes in at the middle, at 2,204.6 pounds, or 1.1023 US tons. Then 28 x 1.1023 = 30.86 tons, so that more than a trillion (US) tons of ice is lost annually. Undoubtedly, the rate of loss is accelerating.
Payroll tax elimination would deplete Social Security funds by 2023, chief actuary says: https://www.businessinsider.com/social-security-payroll-tax-cut-depleted-trump-eliminating-effect-fund-2020-8 . Ah, the dangers of socialism. FDR died 14 months before Trump was born, and Republicans are still running against him.
Seinfeld on New York and the coronavirus: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/opinion/jerry-seinfeld-new-york-coronavirus.html .