Welcome to the newly updated Key Developments, now published twice a week and expanding beyond just COVID-19 news. While we're still focusing heavily on the pandemic, we're gradually broadening our scope as we move forward.
Globally, there are over 21 million confirmed cases, with nearly 1.8 million new cases added in the last week alone. The rate of infection is accelerating. Over 752,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide. In the U.S., there are more than 5.4 million cases and over 170,000 deaths. The country reported more than 51,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. Brazil continues to lead in daily case growth, followed closely by India, which has now become the world's top country for new infections per day. Russia and Mexico also remain high on the list, with Mexico ranking third globally in total deaths, surpassing 54,000.
An antibody study in the UK found that approximately 6% of the population has been infected. Health workers and care home staff were disproportionately affected, with high infection rates compared to the general population. About one-third of those tested were asymptomatic. Although this was a large-scale survey involving over 100,000 participants, a follow-up study planned for the fall will be twice as big. If only 6% of the UK population has been infected and over 40,000 have died, it suggests that many more could be at risk before herd immunity is reached.
Iowa is facing a major crisis after a powerful derecho storm hit the state with winds exceeding 100 miles per hour, destroying a third or more of its crops—over 10 million acres. This disaster has serious implications for food security across the country. Cities like Cedar Rapids have been devastated, and the already strained response to the pandemic is now being overshadowed by the need to manage the aftermath of the storm.
[Link: https://twitter.com/LauraMLippman/status/1293938817762762759?s=20]
There are growing concerns that cold storage facilities may be contributing to virus spread. In China, some officials have raised questions about the role of imported goods in transmission. Similar concerns are now being investigated in New Zealand, where experts are looking into whether the virus could have re-entered the community through cold chain logistics.
[Link: https://twitter.com/next_china/status/1293760429395673088?s=20]
[Link: Twitter quote from Stephen Dziedzic: https://twitter.com/stephendziedzic/status/1293832244287019008]
The pandemic is worsening food insecurity and disrupting supply chains. Even though shelves are no longer as empty as they were early in the crisis, many products remain hard to find. Prices are up, and manufacturing hasn't fully recovered yet.
A University of Florida research team recently detected live, infectious virus particles in the air up to 17 feet away from an infected patient. This confirms that the virus can spread through airborne transmission, not just via droplets.
Herd immunity is not a solution—it’s a dangerous and unrealistic goal. The U.S. continues to face some of the worst outcomes globally, with high test positivity rates, the highest number of cases, and a lack of a coordinated national strategy for testing, tracing, and isolating.
California has now surpassed 600,000 confirmed cases, marking a grim milestone.
[Link: https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1293952403409867264]
South Africa is showing signs of improvement, but many African nations are still struggling, with several countries recording record numbers of new cases in recent days.
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