What You Need to Know About Coronavirus - Tuesday, March 17

Here is my daily post with the best things I've read about coronavirus today.

The FDA approved the first commercial tests for Covid-19. This is good! Accurate data from testing is essential for hospitals allocating resources, researchers tracking the spread, and everyone else caring for themselves and their loved ones.

Italy has the second oldest population in the world, and younger Italians enjoy being social with their parents and grandparents. New research suggests this may be partly to blame for the devastation wreaked by coronavirus.

When cruise ships, train cars, and office spaces say they’ve undergone a “deep clean,” what does that mean? Something different, depending on who you ask! There’s no one way to disinfect for coronavirus, which is yet another reason to be vigilant and stay home.

How long does the coronavirus stay virulent? New research suggests it’s up to 24 hours on cardboard, up to 2 to 3 days on plastic and stainless steel, and up to a few hours in the air. Even if your job precludes you from working from home, wash your hands and open windows!

Until recently, the majority of masks in the US were made in China. Now, stateside manufacturers are firing from all cylinders to meet skyrocketing demand. Texas’ Prestige Ameritech has quadrupled its mask production and still has to turn down orders for up to 300 million masks a day.

As the number of cases rises in Iran, doctors in neighboring Afghanistan prepare for the worst. Amidst an election dispute, negotiations with the Taliban, and rabid price gouging, they must also address the fact that some hospitals in Kabul don’t even have clean water. 

In the US, rural hospitals are running up against their limits. One, in southeastern Washington, is short-staffed to begin with and serves an aging community. It’s keeping a close eye on the supply closet in preparation for the weeks ahead.

A preprint that suggests that the virus can only live between 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 13-24 Celsius. That's good news for the summer. And also why I left my groceries outside in the cold for a couple hours before bringing them inside.