Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Day 33: Biden Our Time

Iran has leapt ahead of Italy, with 2,922 cases (including 23 members of parliament) and 92 deaths. The Ayatollah was seen wearing gloves. Germany and France have each exceeded 200 cases and Spain is not far behind. Case counts are rising across Europe, with notable jumps in the UK, Switzerland, Norway, and the Netherlands. Portugal now has five cases (the fifth ex Italy, and the third and fourth connected to the initial two). Poland, famed for its resistance to the Black Death, has reported its first case.

Here in the New World, Canada is up to 33 cases, with several new cases ex Iran, while Mexico is holding at 5 and Brazil at 2. (The low case count in South America is the only thing between us and the WHO declaring this a pandemic.) The US has reached 132 cases, with 9 deaths (all in Washington State). CNN is tracking cases state-by-state. Most of today's new cases are in California and associated with travel, though at least one is untraced.

Governor Cuomo announced that many suspected New York State cases, including those in Buffalo and Oneida, tested negative. On the downside, the 50-year-old Westchester County case managed to super-spread the virus to his wife, a son (20), a daughter (14), and a neighbor. The children's schools (including Yeshiva University) will be closed today. He also announced that SUNY/CUNY students studying abroad in certain countries will be flown home and quarantined.

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