Day 49: A Quarter Million Strong

Today the international case count has hit 255,000, with 10,000 deaths and almost 90,000 recovered. Italy has over 41,000 cases and 3,400 deaths. Spain has exceeded Iran in cases; both are nearing 20,000. Germany has well over 17,000 cases and the US is approaching 15,000, with 160 deaths.

Today the Treasury Secretary moved Tax Day to July 15th; filing and payment can be delayed without penalty. In a sudden move, Governor Newsom locked down the entire state of California late yesterday with a "shelter in place" order, though marijuana dispensaries and other "essential" businesses will remain open. Pennsylvania is also under a similar order. Massachusetts is still looking good, having dropped to 9th in the nation in case count with no deaths (unlike 28 states and the District of Columbia).

The Internet dug up this gem of a paper from 2007 [PDF]:

[SARS'] acute and dramatic impact on health care systems, economies, and societies of affected countries within just a few months of early 2003 was unparalleled since the last plague. The small reemergence of SARS in late 2003 after the resumption of the wildlife market in southern China and the recent discovery of a very similar virus in horseshoe bats, bat SARS-CoV, suggested that SARS can return if conditions are fit for the introduction, mutation, amplification, and transmission of this dangerous virus.

And lastly, the gift that keeps on giving: plague ships! Lucky Germ Boat #13 is the Ruby Princess, a Princess Cruises ship that (despite Carnival allegedly suspending operations of Princess Cruises a week ago) was still cruising around as late as yesterday when it docked in Sydney. Although thirteen people were ill with flu-like symptoms, the 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark. Only the ill seem to have been tested; two passengers and one crew member tested positive. Another passenger who travelled to Tasmania has been hospitalized there and is a suspected case.

PlagueBlog trusts this germ boat will continue yielding cases for some time.

P.S. Forbes has an article on the homemade mask movement.

P.P.S Governor Cuomo tweeted his intention to lock down New York State.

P.P.P.S PlagueBlog apologizes for jinxing us: the governor reported the first death in Massachusetts during a press conference this afternoon. The victim was a Suffolk County man in his 80's with pre-existing conditions who died yesterday. The remaining numbers for today are not out yet.

P.P.P.P.S Our numbers are now out. Massachusetts has 413 cases, up 85 (26%) over yesterday, with 17 new cases of local transmission, 15 more travel-related cases, and the remainder under investigation. Middlesex County has 25 new cases, Suffolk 14, Norfolk 12, and Essex 10. Fifty of the new positives were found by the commercial and mystery labs. The state lab positive rate has gone down to 11% while the commercial lab rate has gone up to 5%. (There is still no denominator on the mystery labs.)