The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Nationwide social distancing guidelines will stay in place until April 30th, and that's a good thing according to Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh. The commissioner, who's also a medical doctor, spoke with Brandon Brooks on KYW Newsradio on Monday morning, March 30th, about when coronavirus is expected to peak in southeastern Pennsylvania, if Montomery County has enough personal protective equipment to deal with the pandemic, and why four more weeks of social distancing is necessary.

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Since the coronavirus pandemic ended social lives as we knew them, anything that took us within six feet from another person is out the window. That includes dating and meeting people, for love or recreation. But apparently we haven't given up on dating entirely -- Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group says video dating has risen dramatically on all of his company's dating apps since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Today on KYW In Depth, Cook talks about the dating changes people have made in response to social distancing and how COVID-19 could result in far reaching changes to dating culture.

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The unemployment numbers released on Thursday, March 26 were astronomical and unprecedented. More than 3 million Americans applied for unemployment compensation the previous week. Today on KYW In Depth, Penn Wharton Budget Model Senior Advisor and Director of Outreach Diane Lim talks about why those numbers are going to get worse, what makes this economic downturn unique in American history, and why she thinks that when all this is over there might be a silver lining in the economic recovery. 

 

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One of the tried and true ways high school seniors figure out where they want to go to college is by visiting the campus and taking a tour. Right now, college visits are shut down across the country just like nearly everything else. Today on KYW In Depth, KYW Newsradio's Suzanne Monaghan speaks with Kristin Dunning, a counselor at Strath Haven High School in Delaware County about some other options high school students have if they can't go on a college visit. 

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Researchers at BioAegis in New Jersey have been studying a therapy for pneumonia patients that they say can help treat people with severe cases of COVID-19. It's a protein called gelsolin. Now they're trying to get it through the FDA approval process. Carol MacKenzie spoke with the Chief Medical Officer at BioAegis Therapeutics, Dr. Mark DiNubile, to find out what he's working on and why he thinks it can help COVID-19 patients. 

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Distilleries around the country are doing their part to fight the COVID-19 pandemic by making hand sanitizer. Robert Cassell, co-founder of New Liberty Distillery and President of the Pennsylvania Distillers Guild talks to KYW In Depth about the work involved in switching from making spirits to making hand sanitizer, where the biggest need for the hand sanitizer is, the collaboration between business and government needed to pull it off, and how you can help.

Check out New Liberty Distillery here: https://newlibertydistillery.com/

PA Distillers Guild website: https://padistillersguild.com/

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Congress is spending more than $2 trillion on a COVID-19 relief bill while much of our economy is shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. What's in the bill? How much of it is going to help you and your family? What about your employer?

We asked those questions and more to Steven Portnoy, White House Correspondent for CBS News, who helps explain:

- Why the added unemployment benefits are a bigger deal for most Americans than the direct checks

- How much money you could get while you wait out this crisis

- What's being done to make sure your employer can stay in business and hire you back

- How the federal government is funding an attack strategy against the virus

Steven also talked about a new finger prick test for coronavirus, the newest warnings from NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, and what it's like covering the White House during a pandemic.

Follow Steven Portnoy's White House coverage on twitter @stevenportnoy.

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Uncertain times call for economics professors on speed dial. Villanova's David Fiorenza checks back in with KYW in Depth to answer a handful of questions, including:

- As an economist, what's your biggest concern right now?

- We've seen incredible gains and losses in the stock market, do you expect the volatility to continue?

- What would a $2 trillion package do for the economy?

- Did anything surprise you in the past week?

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The Providence Animal Center in Media, Pennsylvania is in a tough spot right now. Normally, they have hundreds of animal lovers who volunteer to help out with the dogs and cats at the center. But during the coronavirus pandemic, the limited on-site staff have to pick up all the work. They've also canceled fundraisers that they depend on to keep the Center going. On this episode of KYW In Depth, Carol MacKenzie talks with Providence Animal Center's Director of Advancement Justina Calgiano about what the shelter needs and the specific ways they need people to help during this crisis. Hint: have you ever wanted to foster a fur baby?  

Providence Animal Center's website: https://providenceac.org/

"We realize people are up against some really tough odds right now. Finances are dwindling, and that's really hard, and it's really upsetting. But pets are family. And so we're trying to keep the family intact right now." - Justina Calgiano, Providence Animal Center. 

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We're continuing our series on Olympic athletes from the Philadelphia area dealing with the postponement of the 2020 games by talking to two athletes who already had their tickets punched to the games. Jake Rosenberg is an Ardmore native who went to Harriton High School. He is an outfielder on the Israeli National Baseball team, which has qualified for the Olympics. Summer Rappaport is a triathlete who has made the US Olympic Team. She is a Villanova University alum.

 

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