A major U.S. study has found that the drug remdesivir works against the coronavirus, and government officials said yesterday that they'd work to make it available to patients as quickly as possible. The drug isn't a cure, but in the study of more than 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, it reduced recovery time by 31 percent, to 11 days on average compared to 15 days for those who got standard care. There was also a slight reduction in deaths, but the difference wasn't large enough to say the drug was the reason. Dr. Anthony Fauci expressed excitement over what he called the "clear-cut" results, saying, "What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus," adding, "This will be the standard of care." The maker of remdesivir, Gilead Sciences, said it's ramping up production, and is aiming to have more than 140,000 treatment courses by the end of May, more than 500,000 by October, and more than one million by December.
- President Trump said Wednesday that he won't extend the federal government's social distancing guidelines when they expire today. He told reporters, "They’ll be fading out because now the governors are doing it." Those guidelines, which were put in place for 30 days, encouraged Americans to work from home, to avoid restaurants, group gatherings and travel, and advised older people and those with serious health conditions to isolate themselves. Trump also said he plans to resume traveling, beginning with going to Arizona next week. A White House spokesman said Trump would visit a Honeywell facility in Phoenix that's producing "critical medical equipment."
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said yesterday that restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity starting on Monday (May 4th), beginning phase one of the state's reopening plan. However, that won't apply to Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties for now. Movie theaters and gyms will remain closed, with DeSantis saying he wants to see what happens in other states before setting a timeline for their reopening, and bars and personal care services will remain also closed.
- Deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are now just under 61,000, according to Johns Hopkins University's count.
➤U.S. ECONOMY SHRANK AT 4.8 PERCENT RATE IN FIRST QUARTER: The government estimated Wednesday (April 29th) that the U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8 percent annual rate in the first quarter from January to March -- and worse is yet to come. The coronavirus pandemic shutdowns didn't begin until mid-March, and the second quarter covering April to June will really show the effects of the shutdowns on the economy. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated economic activity will plunge this quarter at a 40 percent annual rate. That would be the worst quarter since such records first began being compiled in 1947. Hours later, the Federal Reserve signaled it would keep its key short-term interest rate near zero for the foreseeable future as part of its extraordinary efforts to bolster the economy amid the pandemic.
➤U.S. MARRIAGE RATE FALLS TO LOWEST ON RECORD: Marriage rates in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest level on record, according to data out yesterday (April 29th) from the National Center for Health Statistics. Marriages fell six percent in 2018, with 6.5 new marriages formed out of every 1,000 people, the lowest rate since the federal government started keeping records of marriage data in 1867. The report's lead author, statistician Sally Curtin, told The Wall Street Journal, "Millennials are in peak marriage years, their 20s and 30s, and it's still dropping. This is historic." In 1970, about 70 percent of adults lived with a spouse, a percentage that had dropped to just over half in 2019. By comparison, nearly seven percent identified as living with a partner last year, compared to less than one percent in 1970.
➤SCIENTISTS TRYING TO SEE IF DOGS CAN BE TRAINED TO SNIFF OUT CORONAVIRUS: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are trying to determine if dogs can be trained to sniff out the coronavirus. They're specifically investigating Labrador retrievers, which have powerful noses. If it works, the scientists hope the dogs could be used to screen people at airports, hospitals and other public settings to possibly help prevent another outbreak. Dogs are already used to detect drugs and explosives by smell, and have also been shown to be able to detect some diseases.
➤NCAA MOVING FORWARD WITH PLAN TO LET ATHLETES EARN MONEY: The NCAA announced yesterday that it's moving forward with a landmark plan to allow college athletes to earn money for endorsements and other activities involving their names, images and likenesses, such as personal appearances and social media content. Important details still have to be worked out, but the plan would require that the athletes disclose their money-making deals to their schools. There would be no cap on what the athletes can earn, but they wouldn't be allowed to use their schools' logos or brands.
➤BASEBALL HALL OF FAME CANCELS INDUCTION CEREMONY: The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced yesterday that it had canceled this year's planned induction ceremony on July 26th because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 class, headed by Derek Jeter and Larry Walker, will instead be part of next year's induction ceremonies in July 2021 at the Hall in Cooperstown, New York.
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