The Daily Dive

Last week unemployment claims totaled 6.6 million, bringing the total number of applications to nearly 17 million since the pandemic has shut down huge parts of the U.S. economy. And as a result of so many applying for unemployment, people are having a tough time getting through and completing the process. Dana Mattioli, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how tough the job market is right now.

Next, one thing to keep an eye out while we social distance and stay at home, Americans are doubling down on some of their worst habits in order to cope with mental and emotional stress of dealing with coronavirus. Alcohol sales and consumption are up, marijuana sales are up, and people are eating more and exercising less. Sara Fischer, reporter for Axios, joins us for how virus vices are taking a toll on people.

Finally, some space news! On Thursday a Russian Soyuz rocket carried three astronauts to the International Space Station. It also marked the end of NASA’s dependence on Russian rockets for human spaceflight. NASA was buying seats on Soyuz capsules for $86 million a pop, but will now be getting rides from SpaceX and Boeing. Daniel Oberhaus, writer at Wired, joins us for more.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. With no real pathway to overtake Joe Biden in the delegate count, Sanders is suspending the campaign, but still staying on the ballot to get as many delegates as possible to influence the party platform at the convention. Julia Manchester, political reporter at The Hill, joins us for more on Bernie ending his run.

Next, the U.S. is eyeing a second coronavirus outbreak in China. In the past few days, officials have noted an emergence of new cases, particularly in asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals. The administration is closely monitoring how China handles this next wave to better understand what we could expect later this year when we too, could possibly see a second outbreak. Erin Banco, national security reporter at The Daily Beast, joins us for how we are keeping an eye on China.

Finally, in this time of coronavirus, telemedicine is having a moment. It was once a hard sell to get people to see a doctor over the phone or a computer screen, but now some companies can’t keep up with demand. Wait times have increased on some of these services and it is leading them to hire more doctors to help you quicker. Parmy Olsen, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for the rise of telemedicine.

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China has officially lifted the lockdown of Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged. When this all started, China shut down the city of 11 million and many countries took the same steps in some fashion. Now the city is opening back up, but all is not as it was before. People can leave Wuhan, but a government sanctioned phone app will have to affirm they are not a contagion risk, some businesses have set up street-front counters so customers can get their goods without going inside, and schools remain closed. Marissa Fernandez, reporter for Axios, joins us for the end of the Wuhan lockdown.

Next, we have heard a lot of mixed results about the anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine and its effectiveness in treating COVID-19. Not wanting to offer false hope, many health experts have urged caution until more studies have been done. But how did all this talk about this drug get started and why has President Trump pushed for its use so hard. In mid-March, a cryptocurrency investor, a law school graduate, and a self-described philosopher found each other on Twitter and published a paper about the potential. Tina Nguyen, White House reporter at Politico, tells us about the domino effect that led to hydroxychloroquine being part of the conversation.

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It’s all hands on deck to fight coronavirus and the US Army’s top virus research lab is also helping out with the effort. The US Army Institute of Infectious Diseases is working on the long term game to help beat COVID-19. They are working on animal models to test possible treatments and also working on screening antibodies that could be used to make a universal vaccine. Eric Niiler, contributor to Wired, joins us for how USAMRIID is helping out.

Next, as some are starting to recover from COVID-19 they face an uncertain road back to normal. The guidelines vary on when someone can return to their normal pre-quarantine lives. But generally, you want to be symptom free for at least three days and have two consecutive negative tests, although those can be hard to come by in quick fashion. Daniella Hernandez, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for when someone can be considered well again.

Finally, something to watch out for in getting tested and seeing a doctor during this pandemic, unforeseen medical bills. While you might not get charged for the test itself, you might not want to go to the emergency room. Some in-network emergency rooms could be staffed with doctors that work for private companies and out-of-network. Emmarie Huetteman, correspondent for Kaiser Health News, joins us for more.

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U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says that this week will be one of the hardest and saddest for Americans as we continue to fight our way through the coronavirus pandemic. The next two weeks are critical as experts think multiple states will hit their peak of cases of COVID-19. Several governors are also in a tight situation trying to acquire the proper supplies for their states as the national stockpile of equipment is almost depleted and they are pleading with the federal government to take a bigger lead in helping. Stef Kight, reporter for Axios, joins us for this and also how Joe Biden continues to campaign during this crisis.

Next, while we brace ourselves to make it through this right now, the scientific community around the world is in a race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. There are currently at least 43 different vaccines in development around the world. But the process remains slow. While many things have changed about how to develop vaccines, such as being able to target the DNA and RNA of the viruses in quick fashion, the rest of the process- tasing in humans and also the manufacturing for wide use remains very slow. That is why we might still be a year away from an effective vaccine. Samanth Subramanian, contributor to The Guardian Long Reads, joins us for the work behind the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

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This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

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This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

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We’ve known for some time that those with underlying health conditions are more at risk of getting more severe symptoms from COVID-19, but new data from the CDC shows that those with diabetes, lung disease and heart disease face an increased chance of being hospitalized. The CDC found that of those people requiring admission to an ICU, 78% had at least one underlying health condition. Joel Achenbach, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Next, with the global economy coming to a halt, airline flights cancelled, and people staying at home, the unintended consequence has been that air pollution is down. In a somewhat unwanted atmospheric experiment we are seeing levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide go down, but these small gains may not last once things get back to normal. Ula Chrobak, contributor to Popular Science, joins us for how coronavirus has cut down air pollution.

Finally, curious about what people are doing to pass the time as more states impose stay-at-home orders? Jigsaw puzzles are having a moment, but good luck trying to find one. Amazon has stopped accepting puzzle shipments, so try Target, Barnes and Noble, and your local mom and pop shop. Michael Phillips, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the jigsaw puzzle craze and why to watch out for secondary puzzle dealers.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially declared a 30-day stay-at-home order for the state after facing criticism for not doing so earlier. The other issue facing Florida is what to do with sick people on the Zaandam cruise ship that wants to dock in Port Everglades. DeSantis only wants to take state residents that are on the ship and the Coast Guard has said that the ships must stay out at sea with the sick on board. A plan is still being worked on for what to do even as another sick cruise ship also plans to make its way there. Samantha Gross, reporter at the Miami Herald, joins us for more.

Next, the CDC is considering recommendations for people to wear face masks while out in public. Previously, the recommendation was not to buy any masks, as medical workers needed them and they were in short supply. But we have gotten to the point where we need to step up efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. Masks reduce the spread of infectious disease by catching microbes expelled by the wearer and also protecting them from outside microbes, and while they might not catch everything, there’s a strong case we should all be wearing masks during a pandemic. Ferris Jabr, writer for Wired, joins us for how wearing face masks could help.

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As COVID-19 testing capabilities ramp up and companies are coming up with new tests, why does it still take so long to get results? First, it is a multi-step process… once a sample is taken, it needs to travel to a lab, then it needs to be processed. And different circumstances in processing will lead to different turnaround times.  Julie Appleby, senior correspondent at Kaiser Health News, joins us for the steps involved in testing and new ones on the way.

Next, we hear a lot about confirmed cases of coronavirus. The U.S. has the most confirmed cases in the world right now, but unfortunately, that metric does little for us in the way of tracking how fast it is spreading due to uneven testing. Instead, some suggest we track the rate of hospitalizations and other factors. Faye Flam, columnist at Bloomberg News, joins us for why we still need a lot more data to find out true rates of infection and spread.

Finally, coronavirus is forcing pregnant women to make tough choices. There are many hospitals with such tight restrictions that in some cases a woman’s partner might not even be allowed into the delivery room. Women are having to resort to FaceTime to have their partners present, and it could be falling to nurses to provide supportive care and camerawork. Laura Kusisto, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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