An informed guide to the global outbreak, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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A lingering virus mystery |
Since the outbreak began, one question has left public health experts and scientists puzzled: Why does the virus provoke only mild symptoms in some people, while severely sickening others? |
We think we know some of the factors. A person’s age has been shown to play a role, along with underlying conditions like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Smoking may have a hand in the severity of an infection, too. |
European geneticists sequenced the genomes of infected patients in Italy and Spain who required an oxygen supply or a ventilator, to look for genetic traits that the patients shared. |
They found two commonalities. One is a person’s blood type. Patients with Type A blood had a 50 percent greater chance that they would need oxygen or a ventilator. |
The second factor showed an even stronger link to Covid-19, but it’s still a mystery. That’s because the spot in the genome that scientists homed in on has six genes, and they’re not sure which, exactly, is influencing the course of the virus. |
Another head-scratcher is why blood type might play a role in a Covid-19 infection. One idea is that the location on the genome where blood type is determined also contains a stretch of DNA that can trigger strong immune responses. It’s possible that genetic variations may lead to an overreaction in the immune system, causing extensive inflammation and lung damage. |
The other global health threat |
Even while doctors battle Covid-19, many are worried about another looming global public health threat: antimicrobial resistance. |
Some 700,000 people die each year because medicines that once cured their conditions are no longer effective. As the pipeline for new drugs runs dry, health experts are warning that the same government inaction that allowed the coronavirus to spread worldwide could lead to an even deadlier epidemic of drug-resistant infections. |
While the pandemic ebbs in some of the countries that were hit hard early on, the global case count is growing faster than ever. Here are a few places suffering particularly bad outbreaks right now. |
- The death toll in Brazil passed 30,000 on Tuesday, when officials reported 1,262 deaths, the nation’s highest one-day total. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly minimized the threat, said, “We are sorry for all the dead, but that’s everyone’s destiny.”
- Peru has more than 170,000 confirmed cases, despite imposing one of the earliest national lockdowns in South America. Though the official virus death toll stands at around 5,000, Peru reported 14,000 more deaths than usual in May, suggesting many people are dying at home.
- For months, Egypt seemed to avoid the worst of the pandemic. But recently the number of cases there has risen significantly, reaching 27,536 on Tuesday.
- Bangladesh now has 55,000 known cases, and its troubles were compounded last month by a cyclone that tore through communities under lockdown.
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What else we’re following |
- The Lancet has retracted a controversial study that concluded hydroxychloroquine was ineffective for Covid-19 patients over questions about its data, though subsequent, more transparent studies have had similar findings.
- The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told lawmakers that the country needs up to 100,000 contact tracers.
- Workers across the U.S. are being told to return to their workplaces. Many who refuse for fear of the virus are losing their jobs, and thousands more are being reported to the state to have their unemployment benefits cut off.
- The Trump administration released new requirements for states to report coronavirus data based on race, ethnicity, age and sex of individuals tested for the virus, in an effort to respond to demands from lawmakers for a better picture of the pandemic.
- George Floyd, whose death has sparked nationwide protests, had the virus weeks before he was killed, an autopsy report showed.
- Despite the pandemic, some protesters are being held for more than a day in crowded jail cells, some without masks.
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| I have taken up a new hobby: painting little pictures and inspirational words on rocks and then leaving them around the neighborhood and in local parks for others to find. |
| — Cynthia Casani, Cedar Grove, N.J. |
Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
| Melina Delkic and Tom Wright-Piersanti contributed reporting. |
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