#quarantinelife week 7 – a new treatment, swooning over Fauci, celebrating Sara, and the Holderness Family cheers...

With rising unemployment, those of us who are working are grateful for what we have. Unfortunately, unemployment is not the only number going up. The number of novel coronavirus cases also is on the rise, as well as the number of deaths. We have the deepest sorrow for those who’ve been directly impacted. But for most of us, we’re doing what we can, because we should. We’re staying home more, because we care. And way we’re adapting to this new normal and learning to find the good. 

With these new stats come other new outlooks. According to the New York Times, New Yorkers are getting more zzzs, for example. And NASA is also reporting some positive impacts, like lower fossil fuel emissions. NASA is also investigating the link between weather and a decrease in cases, so we’ll keep an eye out for those findings. Here’s our news for the past week, closing with some fun and cheer if you can make it to the bottom!

Think before you act. The number of media headlines containing coronavirus or COVID-19 was high, though a smidge lower than last week. Those words appeared in 1.38 MILLION articles and press release headlines this past week, according to our Meltwater search. So as we always say, think before you push send. Issue that release, but make sure that if it references the pandemic, there is a true tie to the news. In fact, if it doesn't pass that litmus test, your newswire may not post the release. We use PR Newswire, and they have been hyper-focused on releases that mention the coronavirus. If they feel it’s an erroneous reference they will make you revise your release or refuse to publish it. Fair warning.

 A treatment, not a cure. We have promising news from Gilead that its remdesivir received emergency FDA approval and is going into production to help treat some of the sickest patients. Endpoints and Bloomberg both covered this week.

State by state. USA Today reported on which states are starting to open up and when, as of April 30. Here in the Bay Area, where many of us live, some loosening of the SIP order will begin on May 4, reported by ABC affiliate KGO 7. I’m already noticing a bit more traffic on the roads during my morning runs.

PPP round II, small banks take back the night. Small banks got exclusive access to PPPs during an 8-hour window on Wednesday. Business Insider and NPR covered. The Silicon Valley Business Journal also ran a story from Washington on new loans for Main Street.

To raise, or not to raise…what was the question? Speaking of money, CNBC looked at some startups that have taken off in this market. Will those surges continue? Should they take additional funding if it’s offered? Or is revenue the secret? Ari Levy explores.

What’s in your kitchen? CNBC ran the top 10 most googled recipes during quarantine, for those of you looking to do a little baking this weekend!

Swooning. One of our favorite things to do lately is catch all the comedy. And it just keeps getting better. In last week’s SNL skit of choice, Brad Pitt played Dr. Fauci. As CNN reports, this was in response to Dr. Fauci’s request. 

A baritone of hope dreams the impossible dream. Tony-award winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, who had coronavirus in April, serenades New Yorkers to run where the brave dare not go, as reported by Fox.

Unlawful billing for Covid? KHN is looking for stories from patients who were billed for Covid testing or have undergone other Covid-related billing issues.

Air travel forever changed. Axios reported on what travel might look like in a Covid world — from requiring blood tests to board to disinfection tunnels, read what they had to say.

Business also may look different. The Information reported on how business might look different as we move through Covid. Will lunch rooms reopen? Maybe not. And plexiglass partitions? The article includes survey data indicating that while 60% of 255 company respondents said their employees would begin returning in May or June, another 30% did not anticipate a return until August. 70% of respondents were venture-backed startups in the Bay Area or New York. MarketWatch spoke to a number of U.S. companies to learn how they are planning to return to work.

No more dreamin'. The San Francisco Business Times alerted us that Dreamforce is officially off the books this year. It appears they are refunding direct sponsorships and registrations, and taking the event online, according to CNBC.

Take me out to the ballgame, pleeeeaasse! Tech events aren’t the only cancellations of interest. ESPN reported that for the first time ever, the Little League World Series is canceled. We don’t know about next season at this point. And it’s been rumored that the NBA draft lottery is being postponed, as Adrian Wojnarkowski tweeted.

Tools, trackers and fact checkers: YouTube is rolling out video fact checking in response to Covid-19 misinformation, according to TechCrunch this week. Axios wrote a great article on how to fact check — not a tool or widget, but a great read on how to sift through to the truth. And Bend-based Amplion released a COVID-19 clinical research and trials tracker.

Sara Cody. Enough said. Finally, I want to draw attention to a non-political power house who is making a difference. Before Gavin Newsom “sheltered in" our state, this woman sheltered in the Bay Area. Unlike Mayor Breed of San Francisco, who held her own press conference without her Bay Area counterparts, this woman collaborated with her peers to do the unthinkable. On March 13, she banned large gatherings, and on March 16 she led six counties and the city of Berkeley into an unprecedented lockdown that bent our curve. This article ran in the San Jose Mercury News back in March, and it deserves a read if you haven't read it already. We’re going to be calling out the people we think are true leaders today. If you have nominations, send them our way.

Let's close with some fun and quarancheer with the Holderness Family!