buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--Judges Struck Down Three State Bans On Abortions During The Coronavirus Outbreak

An abortion rights activist holds placards outside the US Supreme Court in 2016 before the court struck down a Texas law placing restrictions on abortion clinics .
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Over the past week , federal judges have issued orders requiring Texas , Ohio , Alabama , and Oklahoma to allow abortion clinics to stay open and keep providing services , responding to a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reproductive rights groups to prevent states from banning abortion due to the coronavirus outbreak .
Three of the decisions came only hours after the lawsuits were filed on Monday March 30 , though the decision about Oklahoma 's ban came a week later , on April 6 , when a judge ordered a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from going into effect until April 20 .
Texas , Ohio , and Alabama quickly appealed the judges ' decisions in an attempt to continue to enforce their bans on abortion during the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision on Tuesday , allowing that state 's ban to move forward temporarily as the case makes it way through the courts , but an appeals court made the opposite decision about Ohio 's laws Friday , allowing the restraining order to stand .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered a ban on abortions in late March , saying the procedure did not qualify as “ essential ” health care ( except in cases of a threat to the life of the pregnant person ) .
Paxton ordered any scheduled procedures to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mitigate the spread of the virus and devote any medical resources to treating it .
Ohio 's and Alabama 's health departments issued the same interpretation of their states ' orders to cease non-essential medical services during the pandemic .
Planned Parenthood , the American Civil Liberties Union , and the Center for Reproductive Rights quickly filed emergency lawsuits , arguing that the orders were unconstitutional and demanding they be halted and clinics in the state be allowed to continue their work .
Judges granted their request for temporary restraining orders to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week .
In his decision , US District Court for the Western District of Texas Judge Lee Yeakel said that Texas ’ s order would cause “ irreparable harm ” to abortion clinics and their patients , and that this harm “ outweighs ” Texas ’ s reason for the order .
“ Regarding a woman 's right to a pre-fetal-viability abortion , the Supreme Court has spoken clearly .
There can be no outright ban on such a procedure , ” Yeakel wrote .
“ This court will not speculate on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ except-in-a-national-emergency clause ’ in its previous writings on the issue.
” Yeakel said that only the Supreme Court can clarify if a ban on abortion can be applied during a national crisis , and that he will not try to predict what the Supreme Court will decide if the case against Texas ’ s ban reaches the justices .
His temporary restraining order will prevent the ban from affecting clinics in Texas while the case moves forward and expires April 13 ( though it could be extended ) .
The Fifth Circuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday afternoon , placing a stay on his temporary restraining order and allowing the ban to move forward as the case continues .
US District Court Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma , Charles Goodwin made reference to similar concerns about Supreme Court precedent on abortion in his decision , and cited the potential of irreparable harm to women in the state .
He also addressed a difficulty facing judges during the coronavirus outbreak .
`` This case raises an issue that has long been a source of struggle for the courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power in reviewing laws and executive orders or actions taken in response to a public health emergency , '' Goodwin wrote in his decision issued Monday .
During states of emergency , state governments have the power to impose requirements that may temporarily `` intrude upon the liberty of its citizens , '' he continued .
`` That power is not unfettered , however , and courts should carefully guard against 'unreasonable , ' 'arbitrary , ' or 'oppressive ' exercises of it , '' the judge continued , before stating his decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during coronavirus .
Over the last week , each of the governors in the five states ordered “ nonessential ” medical procedures to be postponed for several weeks , stating that this measure would help dedicate as many medical personnel and resources as possible toward treating the virus .
Following this order , each of those states then specified that they considered abortion services “ nonessential ” and instructed Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics in the states to shutter .
In some cases , the orders threatened criminal action against medical workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the American Civil Liberties Union , and the Center for Reproductive Rights quickly joined together to respond , arguing that the conservative states with anti-abortion legislative histories were “ taking advantage ” of the coronavirus crisis to effectively ban abortion in their states , and that the orders were unconstitutional .
Each of the lawsuits demand an “ emergency stay ” on the orders so that the clinics in those states can reopen or stay open and continue to provide abortion care .
The groups were joined in the press conference by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ( ACOG ) and the Abortion Care Network .
“ It 's not surprising that the states that are now using the COVID crisis to stop people from getting abortion care are the very same states that have a history of passing laws to ban abortions or using sham rationale to shut down clinics , ” Jennifer Dalven , the director of the Reproductive Freedom Project with the ACLU , said on a call with the press Monday .
Since the coronavirus reached the US and started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were around 159,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,000 deaths in the US , according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins — governors across the country have been issuing order after order to help enforce social distancing , prevent large gatherings , and limit the spread of the virus .
In Texas , which issued its ban last Monday , state Attorney General Ken Paxton followed up on Gov .
Greg Abbott ’ s order , specifying that any medical worker providing abortion care before the order ’ s expiration date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,000 or face jail time of up to 180 days .
Paxton even ordered clinics to stop issuing medication abortion to patients , which can be provided outside of the clinic via telemedicine .
Ohio ’ s order caused much confusion among clinics and reproductive rights organizations .
On March 17 , Gov .
Mike DeWine ordered the cancellation of all nonessential medical procedures , and shortly thereafter , Ohio ’ s deputy attorney general , Jonathan Fulkerson , sent letters to several abortion clinics in the state , accusing them of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinics ’ lawyers quickly responded , assuring Fulkerson ’ s office that they were in compliance with the order and were taking all necessary precautions .
After some back and forth , Ohio ’ s Department of Health eventually issued further guidance saying that the ban applied to abortion clinics .
After a federal judge put a restraining order on this guidance , Ohio appealed .
On Friday , the US District Court of Appeals for the Sixth District in Cincinnati , Ohio rejected the state 's appeal , upholding the restraining order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortion .
As in the other cases , the sixth circuit court said the order would cause irreparable harm to women seeking abortions in the state and it was unconstitutional .
However , the court also wrote in its decision that it `` could be argued '' that the amount of protective equipment being used for abortion instead of treating COVID-19 patients is `` negligible . ''
Alabama , which passed a near total ban on abortion over the summer that was blocked in court , issued its own order calling for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The order threatened criminal penalties for doctors who violated it , but was vague about exactly what services or actions would violate the order .
This vagueness “ puts doctors in a terrible position of being forced to risk their licenses and risk prosecution in order to provide care , ” Dalven said .
Planned Parenthood quickly filed a lawsuit in Texas on Thursday — the first of the five suits — arguing that the state 's order was in violation of Roe v. Wade .
Each of the ensuing lawsuits used similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the three judges said in their orders that the bans constitute an `` undue burden '' on abortion access , the metric by which previous Supreme Court decisions measure whether a law regulating abortion is unconstitutional .
Hundreds of patients seeking reproductive health care have already been affected by the orders , the coalition said .
In Alabama , when the clinics had to call patients to cancel their abortion appointments by phone , many of the patients cried , Dalven said .
Many patients seeking abortions in Texas had been traveling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down last week , but when Oklahoma issued a ban as well , many people were stuck and unsure of what to do , Nancy Northup , the head of the Center for Reproductive Rights ( which is leading the Oklahoma lawsuit ) , said on the call .
“ No one stopped needing sexual and reproductive health care in a public health crisis , ” acting Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson said during the press conference .
“ People still have sex .
They still need birth control , STI testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and legal abortion.
” Each representative of the five groups joining and supporting the lawsuits argued that abortion is in fact essential health care , and that halting that care does not help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 .
“ Stopping [ patients ] from getting an abortion does n't lower the risk of transmitting the virus , ” Dalven said .
“ It just forces people to stay pregnant and have children against their will.
” Planned Parenthood clinics around the country that remain open are taking extensive measures to mitigate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Planned Parenthood assured press on the call .
They are spacing out patients to limit the number of people in the office , encouraging telemedicine and medication abortion , and making sure their staff has protective equipment .
However , even in states that are not forcing clinics to close , the precautions are beginning to cause barriers to access , as some clinics stop taking new appointments or delay patients ’ appointments in order to not overwhelm and crowd the clinics .
Last week , California ’ s attorney general , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US Department of Health signed by 21 state attorneys general demanding increased access to telemedicine reproductive care .
The attorneys general asked the Trump administration to remove the regulation of mifepristone — a drug used in medication abortion — so that it could be prescribed in a pharmacy like a normal drug , instead of requiring clinics to give it directly to patients , forcing them to come in and expose themselves and others to increased risk of COVID-19 .

Over the past week, federal judges have issued orders requiring Texas, Ohio, Alabama, and Oklahoma to allow abortion clinics to stay open and keep providing services, responding to a series of lawsuits filed by a coalition of reproductive rights groups to prevent states from banning abortion due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Three of the decisions came only hours after the lawsuits were filed on Monday March 30, though the decision about Oklahoma's ban came a week later, on April 6, when a judge ordered a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from going into effect until April 20.
Texas, Ohio, and Alabama quickly appealed the judges' decisions in an attempt to continue to enforce their bans on abortion during the outbreak. An appeals court reversed the Texas decision on Tuesday, allowing that state's ban to move forward temporarily as the case makes it way through the courts, but an appeals court made the opposite decision about Ohio's laws Friday, allowing the restraining order to stand.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered a ban on abortions in late March, saying the procedure did not qualify as “essential” health care (except in cases of a threat to the life of the pregnant person). Paxton ordered any scheduled procedures to be postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak in order to mitigate the spread of the virus and devote any medical resources to treating it. Ohio's and Alabama's health departments issued the same interpretation of their states' orders to cease non-essential medical services during the pandemic.
Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Center for Reproductive Rights quickly filed emergency lawsuits, arguing that the orders were unconstitutional and demanding they be halted and clinics in the state be allowed to continue their work. Judges granted their request for temporary restraining orders to keep clinics open in all three states last week.
In his decision, US District Court for the Western District of Texas Judge Lee Yeakel said that Texas’s order would cause “irreparable harm” to abortion clinics and their patients, and that this harm “outweighs” Texas’s reason for the order.
“Regarding a woman's right to a pre-fetal-viability abortion, the Supreme Court has spoken clearly. There can be no outright ban on such a procedure,” Yeakel wrote. “This court will not speculate on whether the Supreme Court included a silent ‘except-in-a-national-emergency clause’ in its previous writings on the issue.”
Yeakel said that only the Supreme Court can clarify if a ban on abortion can be applied during a national crisis, and that he will not try to predict what the Supreme Court will decide if the case against Texas’s ban reaches the justices. His temporary restraining order will prevent the ban from affecting clinics in Texas while the case moves forward and expires April 13 (though it could be extended).
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Yeakel's decision Tuesday afternoon, placing a stay on his temporary restraining order and allowing the ban to move forward as the case continues.
US District Court Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, Charles Goodwin made reference to similar concerns about Supreme Court precedent on abortion in his decision, and cited the potential of irreparable harm to women in the state. He also addressed a difficulty facing judges during the coronavirus outbreak.
"This case raises an issue that has long been a source of struggle for the courts: the proper use of the judicial power in reviewing laws and executive orders or actions taken in response to a public health emergency," Goodwin wrote in his decision issued Monday.
During states of emergency, state governments have the power to impose requirements that may temporarily "intrude upon the liberty of its citizens," he continued. "That power is not unfettered, however, and courts should carefully guard against 'unreasonable,' 'arbitrary,' or 'oppressive' exercises of it," the judge continued, before stating his decision to block Oklahoma's ban on abortion during coronavirus.
Over the last week, each of the governors in the five states ordered “nonessential” medical procedures to be postponed for several weeks, stating that this measure would help dedicate as many medical personnel and resources as possible toward treating the virus. Following this order, each of those states then specified that they considered abortion services “nonessential” and instructed Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics in the states to shutter. In some cases, the orders threatened criminal action against medical workers who violated the order.
Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Center for Reproductive Rights quickly joined together to respond, arguing that the conservative states with anti-abortion legislative histories were “taking advantage” of the coronavirus crisis to effectively ban abortion in their states, and that the orders were unconstitutional. Each of the lawsuits demand an “emergency stay” on the orders so that the clinics in those states can reopen or stay open and continue to provide abortion care. The groups were joined in the press conference by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Abortion Care Network.
“It's not surprising that the states that are now using the COVID crisis to stop people from getting abortion care are the very same states that have a history of passing laws to ban abortions or using sham rationale to shut down clinics,” Jennifer Dalven, the director of the Reproductive Freedom Project with the ACLU, said on a call with the press Monday.
Since the coronavirus reached the US and started spreading at breakneck speed — by Monday there were around 159,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,000 deaths in the US, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins — governors across the country have been issuing order after order to help enforce social distancing, prevent large gatherings, and limit the spread of the virus.
In Texas, which issued its ban last Monday, state Attorney General Ken Paxton followed up on Gov. Greg Abbott’s order, specifying that any medical worker providing abortion care before the order’s expiration date of April 21 could be fined $1,000 or face jail time of up to 180 days. Paxton even ordered clinics to stop issuing medication abortion to patients, which can be provided outside of the clinic via telemedicine.
Ohio’s order caused much confusion among clinics and reproductive rights organizations. On March 17, Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the cancellation of all nonessential medical procedures, and shortly thereafter, Ohio’s deputy attorney general, Jonathan Fulkerson, sent letters to several abortion clinics in the state, accusing them of being in violation of the order. The clinics’ lawyers quickly responded, assuring Fulkerson’s office that they were in compliance with the order and were taking all necessary precautions. After some back and forth, Ohio’s Department of Health eventually issued further guidance saying that the ban applied to abortion clinics. After a federal judge put a restraining order on this guidance, Ohio appealed.
On Friday, the US District Court of Appeals for the Sixth District in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected the state's appeal, upholding the restraining order and continuing to block the ban on abortion. As in the other cases, the sixth circuit court said the order would cause irreparable harm to women seeking abortions in the state and it was unconstitutional. However, the court also wrote in its decision that it "could be argued" that the amount of protective equipment being used for abortion instead of treating COVID-19 patients is "negligible."
Alabama, which passed a near total ban on abortion over the summer that was blocked in court, issued its own order calling for the close of abortion clinics Saturday night. The order threatened criminal penalties for doctors who violated it, but was vague about exactly what services or actions would violate the order.
This vagueness “puts doctors in a terrible position of being forced to risk their licenses and risk prosecution in order to provide care,” Dalven said.
Planned Parenthood quickly filed a lawsuit in Texas on Thursday — the first of the five suits — arguing that the state's order was in violation of Roe v. Wade. Each of the ensuing lawsuits used similar language and arguments, and each of the three judges said in their orders that the bans constitute an "undue burden" on abortion access, the metric by which previous Supreme Court decisions measure whether a law regulating abortion is unconstitutional.
Hundreds of patients seeking reproductive health care have already been affected by the orders, the coalition said. In Alabama, when the clinics had to call patients to cancel their abortion appointments by phone, many of the patients cried, Dalven said.
Many patients seeking abortions in Texas had been traveling to Oklahoma for care since the ban came down last week, but when Oklahoma issued a ban as well, many people were stuck and unsure of what to do, Nancy Northup, the head of the Center for Reproductive Rights (which is leading the Oklahoma lawsuit), said on the call.
“No one stopped needing sexual and reproductive health care in a public health crisis,” acting Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson said during the press conference. “People still have sex. They still need birth control, STI testing and treatment, and access to safe and legal abortion.”
Each representative of the five groups joining and supporting the lawsuits argued that abortion is in fact essential health care, and that halting that care does not help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“Stopping [patients] from getting an abortion doesn't lower the risk of transmitting the virus,” Dalven said. “It just forces people to stay pregnant and have children against their will.”
Planned Parenthood clinics around the country that remain open are taking extensive measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at their clinics, Planned Parenthood assured press on the call. They are spacing out patients to limit the number of people in the office, encouraging telemedicine and medication abortion, and making sure their staff has protective equipment.
However, even in states that are not forcing clinics to close, the precautions are beginning to cause barriers to access, as some clinics stop taking new appointments or delay patients’ appointments in order to not overwhelm and crowd the clinics.
Last week, California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, sent a letter to the US Department of Health signed by 21 state attorneys general demanding increased access to telemedicine reproductive care. The attorneys general asked the Trump administration to remove the regulation of mifepristone — a drug used in medication abortion — so that it could be prescribed in a pharmacy like a normal drug, instead of requiring clinics to give it directly to patients, forcing them to come in and expose themselves and others to increased risk of COVID-19.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-20--The Coronavirus Is Not Chinese

The Coronavirus Is Not Chinese

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter Outbreak Today .
Four months ago , few among us knew that coronavirus is the name of a family of viruses — and none of us knew that a new strain first identified in Wuhan , China , in late December 2019 would cause a disease now called COVID-19 that would become a pandemic .
But now these words are a part of our everyday life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can be helpful to know the distinction between the virus ’ s family name , this particular strain ’ s name , and the illness ’ s name , but much more importantly : Do not call it the “ Chinese virus.
” Viruses don ’ t have a nationality , and as we can clearly see , they do not discriminate in whom they infect .
It ’ s a racist misnomer to call it the “ Chinese virus ” or the “ Wuhan flu.
” It ’ s an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a global crisis , to place blame when lifesaving action is what ’ s needed .
As the US has been criticized for failing to act more quickly to test people for and contain the coronavirus outbreak , President Donald Trump has deliberately and repeatedly called it the “ Chinese virus.
” Early on in the HIV/AIDS epidemic , it was called “ gay-related immune deficiency , ” or GRID .
Even worse , it was casually referred to as “ the gay plague.
” It ’ s clear how that kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a disease may only impact a select group of people — which is entirely inaccurate — and how it preys on prejudices .
And such terminology allows leaders to continue to ignore something that could wind up killing millions of people .
So while we encourage you to write “ the coronavirus ” ( using the article the ) to refer to the kind of virus and to say “ COVID-19 ” when you mean the disease , we also want to acknowledge that some abuses of language are far more detrimental than @ @

Four months ago, few among us knew that coronavirus is the name of a family of viruses — and none of us knew that a new strain first identified in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 would cause a disease now called COVID-19 that would become a pandemic. But now these words are a part of our everyday life. And, yes, we think it can be helpful to know the distinction between the virus’s family name, this particular strain’s name, and the illness’s name, but much more importantly: Do not call it the “Chinese virus.”
Viruses don’t have a nationality, and as we can clearly see, they do not discriminate in whom they infect. It’s a racist misnomer to call it the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan flu.” It’s an attempt to politicize language about an illness that is a global crisis, to place blame when lifesaving action is what’s needed. As the US has been criticized for failing to act more quickly to test people for and contain the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump has deliberately and repeatedly called it the “Chinese virus.”
Early on in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it was called “gay-related immune deficiency,” or GRID. Even worse, it was casually referred to as “the gay plague.” It’s clear how that kind of language can perpetuate the idea that a disease may only impact a select group of people — which is entirely inaccurate — and how it preys on prejudices. And such terminology allows leaders to continue to ignore something that could wind up killing millions of people.
So while we encourage you to write “the coronavirus” (using the article the) to refer to the kind of virus and to say “COVID-19” when you mean the disease, we also want to acknowledge that some abuses of language are far more detrimental than others.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-20--An Army Of 900,000 Women Is Fighting The Coronavirus Without Masks Or Hand Sanitizer

Community health workers are India ’ s first line of defense against the coronavirus , but the government is showing little interest in protecting them .
NEW DELHI — Every morning for the past week N.K.
, a 35-year-old community health activist , has received a WhatsApp message from her supervisor with the names of the latest group of travelers returning to India from countries affected by the coronavirus .
Once she has the list of names , N.K .
tracks down their addresses .
By noon , she ’ s at someone ’ s doorstep , armed with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ts for people suspected of carrying the virus .
Over the phone , she reeled off the list of instructions she gave people : “ Wash your hands , clean your living spaces .
Avoid : crowds , religious gatherings , weddings , elderly people and eating food from outside .
If you have a cough , cough into a mask .
If you have fever or any other symptoms , call me .
Even if you don ’ t , I ’ ll be here.
” Women like N.K .
are known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Social Health Activists , which also spells the Hindi word for “ hope ” — and have been deployed as India ’ s first line of defense to track down “ imported cases ” of the coronavirus .
These are Indian travelers who might be bringing the virus home from China , Europe or the Gulf countries , where a large section of Indians work as migrant labour .
According to the latest Indian health ministry advisory , India currently only has “ imported cases ” of the novel coronavirus and no recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ASHAs ’ work of monitoring travelers and their families even more crucial .
India has so far appears to have escaped the worst of the coronavirus pandemic , with 194 cases and four deaths , and has been praised by the World Health Organization for its response so far .
But while the government has launched an aggressive airport screening program , it is not carrying out widespread testing , and Indians returning from Europe have raised concerns about the quarantine centers they were held in .
Several Indian state governments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andhra Pradesh , Kerala , and Maharashtra , have deployed community health workers to do the work N.K .
is doing — track down returnees , monitor them and their families for 14 days to check whether they develop any symptoms of the coronavirus , and go door to door teaching people how to practice social isolation , and to protect themselves .
It ’ s crucial but dangerous work .
In Italy , where coronavirus has killed more people than in any other country in the world , one in 12 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been health workers .
In the US , the CDC recommends that public health professionals who do the work that the ASHAs are doing in India , conduct interviews over the phone or on video chat .
In the event that they are checking for symptoms in person , health workers should wear full personal protective equipment ( PPE ) before entering homes of possible patients .
Recommended PPE includes a gown , gloves , face shield , goggles and a respirator mask like the N-95 .
Do you have questions you want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch .
And if you 're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand , we ’ d also love to hear from you ( you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels ) .
But BuzzFeed News spoke to ASHAs in four different states — Punjab , Haryana , Karnataka , and Andhra Pradesh — who said they had not even been given masks or hand sanitizer while conducting house calls to potential coronavirus carriers .
Several had spent their own money to buy masks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home .
None of them were able to follow the WHO or Indian health ministry ’ s guidelines on masks : to wear a new one every six hours , and get rid of used masks by burning or deep burial .
An ASHA from Haryana told BuzzFeed News that her state government had organized a training program to teach community health workers about precautions to take while conducting surveys of coronavirus patients , but the training was canceled due to fears of the organizers contracting COVID-19 , the disease caused by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the record fearing professional retaliation from their supervisors , N.K .
agreed on the condition that she was identified only by her initials .
On Thursday evening , Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally addressed the nation about the growing threat the coronavirus posed .
He urged citizens to dismiss the idea that the virus could not affect them and to follow guidelines on social distancing .
While he did not go into the details of how the government was responding to the coronavirus , he encouraged people to stand at their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday to clap , ring bells , or clank cooking utensils , so everyone could express their gratitude and appreciation for public health workers .
It ’ s unclear however how the sound of cooking pans being whacked with metal spoons will help the ASHAs , who form the backbone of India ’ s public health care system .
State governments have routinely failed to take the safety of ASHA workers into account .
Even before the pandemic , ASHAs across the country have gone on strike for being severely underpaid ( approximately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no worker rights ( they are considered “ honorary volunteers ” instead of government employees ) , and frequently finding themselves on the frontlines of both disease and violence and burdened with extra hours of labor each time state governments want a survey carried out .
There is almost no clear state-wise data on the number of COVID-19 cases in India , only aggregated press releases sent out twice a day .
The health ministry is slow to update information received about positive cases , and there is a complete information vacuum on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to foreign countries but have still contracted the virus — the Indian government is still not testing for community transmission .
In this environment , ASHAs are in danger of contracting the disease and spreading it further .
Susana Barria , who works for the global union federation , Public Services International , said that community health workers across the world , who are almost always women , are told that the work they do qualifies as “ care or volunteer work , ” not a proper job .
This is why they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like protection against disease , maternity leave , paid sick leave , all of which will be especially crucial now .
“ It ’ s never been clearer that public healthcare needs community health workers , ” Barria said .
“ The skills and the capacity these women have , the way in which they are familiar with each community ’ s members — the sick , the elderly , the children — the ASHAs are the most likely to know when someone is displaying symptoms of coronavirus , has been traveling abroad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without them , doctors will be operating blind , ” Barria said .
But there are other systemic challenges to ASHA workers that the unions and governments must resolve together — it ’ s not as easy as just handing out an endless supply of masks “ A big concern is that if ASHA workers show up at people ’ s homes wearing masks , it might create panic in the community , ” Barria said .
“ On the other hand , if they contract the disease and fall ill , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will receive paid leave , whether they will be tested and treated free of cost , if they will be quarantined , whether they will still be able to work , if the governments will help their older family members who might get the virus from them , ” ( ASHAs are usually between 25-45 . )
What it all comes down to , said Barria , is whether the government will finally recognize community health workers as actual workers and not “ honorary volunteers.
” “ The state governments love to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and encourage them to get other paying jobs — but who can work another job with a 12-hour shift of going door to door , monitoring people ’ s health ?
It ’ s hard , back-breaking work which has only increased with their new coronavirus-related duties , ” she said .
Repeated calls and emails from BuzzFeed News to ASHA supervisors in Punjab , Karnataka , and Andhra Pradesh to inquire about the status and safety of community health workers went unanswered .
One supervisor in Punjab hung up after saying : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s rights or coronavirus ?
It can ’ t be about both.
” Punjab is one of several Indian states that is afraid of coronavirus casualties growing as migrant laborers return home , particularly from the Gulf countries , where thousands of Indians go to earn a living and send money back home .
Despite this , Punjab has tested only 110 people for the coronavirus so far , while at least another 335 people who returned home after traveling abroad are still untraceable .
“ I ’ m doing the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own money and time for this , ” N.K .
told BuzzFeed News , adding that she has followed similar protocols going door-to-door in the past , including when she made visits to check on tuberculosis and SARS patients .
“ I buy a fresh mask whenever the chemist gets a supply , otherwise I use my dupatta , ” she said , referring to a type of scarf .
“ I have a bath as soon as I get back and wash my hands as often as I can.
” Even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeals to work from home , N.K .
has continued to work her 12-hour shifts , which now include making daily house calls to eight different homes where she said people have returned from coronavirus-affected countries .
She said she has been instructed by her supervisors to visit their homes every day for two weeks , in order to monitor their symptoms .
In addition to visiting potential coronavirus carriers , N.K .
and other ASHA workers are also performing their usual duties : assisting in deliveries , teaching young mothers how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and administering basic first aid .
Usually , an ASHA looks after 1,000 to 2,500 families in a district .
“ Most people believe that the coronavirus will go away if they drink warm fluids and get enough rest , ” N.K .
said .
“ Others believe they have stronger immunity than people in the West .
The big fear is that they will be locked up if they show symptoms — I ’ ve seen family members hide sons who used to work as laborers abroad until last month .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locked away for a sneeze or a cough , there will be no one left to earn for the family.
” ●

Several Indian state governments, such as in Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Maharashtra, have deployed community health workers to do the work N.K. is doing — track down returnees, monitor them and their families for 14 days to check whether they develop any symptoms of the coronavirus, and go door to door teaching people how to practice social isolation, and to protect themselves.
It’s crucial but dangerous work. In Italy, where coronavirus has killed more people than in any other country in the world, one in 12 people infected by the virus so far have been health workers. In the US, the CDC recommends that public health professionals who do the work that the ASHAs are doing in India, conduct interviews over the phone or on video chat. In the event that they are checking for symptoms in person, health workers should wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) before entering homes of possible patients. Recommended PPE includes a gown, gloves, face shield, goggles and a respirator mask like the N-95.
Do you have questions you want answered? You can always get in touch. And if you're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand, we’d also love to hear from you (you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels).
But BuzzFeed News spoke to ASHAs in four different states — Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh — who said they had not even been given masks or hand sanitizer while conducting house calls to potential coronavirus carriers. Several had spent their own money to buy masks and sanitizers, others were making them at home. None of them were able to follow the WHO or Indian health ministry’s guidelines on masks: to wear a new one every six hours, and get rid of used masks by burning or deep burial. An ASHA from Haryana told BuzzFeed News that her state government had organized a training program to teach community health workers about precautions to take while conducting surveys of coronavirus patients, but the training was canceled due to fears of the organizers contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Most women refused to speak on the record fearing professional retaliation from their supervisors, N.K. agreed on the condition that she was identified only by her initials.


buzzfeednews--2020-01-31--A Pro-Trump Blog Doxed A Chinese Scientist It Falsely Accused Of Creating The Coronavirus As A Biowe

A Pro-Trump Blog Doxed A Chinese Scientist It Falsely Accused Of Creating The Coronavirus As A Bioweapon

A popular pro-Trump website has released the personal information of a scientist from Wuhan , China , falsely accusing them of creating the coronavirus as a bioweapon , in a plot it said is the real-life version of the video game Resident Evil .
On Wednesday , far-right news site Zero Hedge claimed without evidence that a scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology created the strain of the virus that has led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency .
The outbreak has grown to more than 9,776 cases , with 118 outside of China .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all in China .
It concludes , “ if anyone wants to find out what really caused the coronavirus pandemic that has infected thousands of people in China and around the globe , they should probably pay [ the Chinese scientist ] a visit.
” It also lists their email address and a phone number .
BuzzFeed News has reached out to the scientist , whom it is declining to name .
Zero Hedge 's Twitter account was suspended Friday , following the publication of the scientist 's name .
`` The account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manipulation policy , '' a spokesperson for Twitter told BuzzFeed News .
The rumors and lies about the Wuhan Institute of Virology dovetail with a popular meme about how the institute ’ s logo is similar to that of the Umbrella Corporation , the shady agency responsible for making the virus that starts the zombie apocalypse in the Resident Evil video game franchise .
The logo that inspired the meme isn ’ t actually from Wuhan Institute of Virology , but actually belongs to Shanghai Ruilan Bao Hu San Biotech Limited , located @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zero Hedge , which describes itself as a financial blog , has more than 50,000 followers on Facebook and more than 670,000 followers on Twitter and is run by Daniel Ivandjiiski , a Bulgarian-born , US-based , former investment banker , who writes the majority of the posts published by the pseudonym Tyler Durden .
The site regularly amplifies conspiracy theories from anonymous message board 4chan and writes frequently about the deep state , doomsday prep , bitcoin speculation , and New Age pseudoscience .
Zero Hedge ’ s Wednesday coronavirus story — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Global Coronavirus Pandemic ?
” — focused on the Chinese scientist who researches the coronavirus .
Zero Hedge linked to a Wuhan Institute of Virology press release from January 2019 that says the scientist was studying why bats who carry the coronavirus don ’ t get sick from it .
What the Zero Hedge article does not state is that studying a form of a virus strain found in animals is a standard way to make vaccines , whether for the flu or polio .
Brandon J .
Brown , an associate professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America , the International Society of Vaccines , and the Global Health Council , told BuzzFeed News it makes sense that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was researching the coronavirus in bats .
“ One reason why this institute would be doing immune research would be to prevent what we are seeing right now with the novel coronavirus outbreak , ” Brown said .
“ They have studied other coronaviruses at that site including SARS , where they discovered that it originated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire idea of the coronavirus working as a bioweapon is pretty silly .
“ The fatality rate [ of the coronavirus ] is 200/10,000 , which is currently lower compared to many other viruses including SARS , so if it was meant as a bioweapon , it is not a good one , ” Brown said .
“ So let 's debunk the bioweapon idea that we are seeing in the news.
” As the virus has spread , so too has misinformation about it .
The new focus on the scientist is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have gained traction since the beginning of the outbreak early in January .
One version of the hoax began in Facebook Groups run by supporters of the pro-Trump QAnon movement and the anti-vax community , where users claimed the outbreak was a population control plot by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates .
Another version claimed that the virus was smuggled out of Canada to the Wuhan Institute of Virology by two Chinese spies posing as scientists .
This narrative is muddled , but it seems to be based on a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy breach '' at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg that resulted in Dr. Xiangguo Qiu , a researcher who regularly collaborates with Chinese scientific institutes , her husband , Keding Cheng , and as CBC reported `` an unknown number of her students from China were removed '' from Canada 's only lab that is a biosafety level 4 , the maximum containment level for dangerous pathogens .
On Jan. 25 , hedge fund manager Kyle Bass tweeted this version of the hoax .
His tweet was retweeted over 12,000 times and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook .
Factcheck.org , one of the platform ’ s official independent fact-checking organizations , debunked it , and on Facebook , screenshots of Bass ’ s tweet now appear with a “ false information '' disclaimer .
Eric Morrissette , a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada , told Factcheck.org , “ this is misinformation and there is no factual basis for claims being made on social media.
” The theory about Chinese spies smuggling the coronavirus out of Canada is also being promoted by what appears to be inauthentic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been aggressive in its promotion of misinformation about the coronavirus .
Earlier this week , it published a massive article in collaboration with the Indian conspiracy theory site Great Game India titled , “ Did China Steal Coronavirus From Canada and Weaponize It ?
” Dr. Erica Bickerton , who studies avian pathology for the Pirbright Institute , which was falsely implicated in the Bill Gates coronavirus conspiracy theory , told BuzzFeed News last week that the coronavirus is a whole family of viruses .
“ Each of these viruses has their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zero Hedge article has been posted on Twitter over 10,000 times and shared close 2,000 times on Facebook in the last 24 hours .
Bass also tweeted the story out to his 120,000 followers , using the hashtag # biowarfare .
“ As we are now right before the dawn of the new Golden Age , a strong purification must occur before we as a planet can enter the Light , ” wrote one user , sharing the article to a Facebook Group with 13,000 members called Arcturian/Pleiadian Starseed Community .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The rumors and lies are also being spread across 4chan .
A user linked to the Zero Hedge article in a 4chan thread titled , “ All hail [ the scientist ] , creator of Corona-Chan.
” In another 4chan thread , users claimed the scientist had created a mutant superbug .
The hoaxes surrounding the coronavirus have become so prevalent that “ uncensored '' subreddits about the outbreak are being created for users on Reddit who want to share the theories .
The Zero Hedge article was shared to one subreddit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the subreddit was quarantined by Reddit and warns users that it may contain misinformation .
“ If true it explains why our ‘ authorities ’ are doing sweet fuckall almost to the point of facilitating the spread , ” the top comment reads .
“ The kind of deep nefarious [ New World Order ] shit that 'd melt the tinfoil hat right on our heads .
”

A popular pro-Trump website has released the personal information of a scientist from Wuhan, China, falsely accusing them of creating the coronavirus as a bioweapon, in a plot it said is the real-life version of the video game Resident Evil.
On Wednesday, far-right news site Zero Hedge claimed without evidence that a scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology created the strain of the virus that has led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. The outbreak has grown to more than 9,776 cases, with 118 outside of China. The coronavirus has killed 213 people, all in China.
It concludes, “if anyone wants to find out what really caused the coronavirus pandemic that has infected thousands of people in China and around the globe, they should probably pay [the Chinese scientist] a visit.” It also lists their email address and a phone number.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to the scientist, whom it is declining to name.
Zero Hedge's Twitter account was suspended Friday, following the publication of the scientist's name.
"The account was permanently suspended for violating our platform manipulation policy," a spokesperson for Twitter told BuzzFeed News.
The rumors and lies about the Wuhan Institute of Virology dovetail with a popular meme about how the institute’s logo is similar to that of the Umbrella Corporation, the shady agency responsible for making the virus that starts the zombie apocalypse in the Resident Evil video game franchise. The logo that inspired the meme isn’t actually from Wuhan Institute of Virology, but actually belongs to Shanghai Ruilan Bao Hu San Biotech Limited, located in Shanghai, 500 miles away.
Zero Hedge, which describes itself as a financial blog, has more than 50,000 followers on Facebook and more than 670,000 followers on Twitter and is run by Daniel Ivandjiiski, a Bulgarian-born, US-based, former investment banker, who writes the majority of the posts published by the pseudonym Tyler Durden. The site regularly amplifies conspiracy theories from anonymous message board 4chan and writes frequently about the deep state, doomsday prep, bitcoin speculation, and New Age pseudoscience.
Zero Hedge’s Wednesday coronavirus story — “Is This the Man Behind the Global Coronavirus Pandemic?” — focused on the Chinese scientist who researches the coronavirus.
Zero Hedge linked to a Wuhan Institute of Virology press release from January 2019 that says the scientist was studying why bats who carry the coronavirus don’t get sick from it. What the Zero Hedge article does not state is that studying a form of a virus strain found in animals is a standard way to make vaccines, whether for the flu or polio.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--Some Of Trump’s Coronavirus Guidance Is English-Only. Members Of Congress Are Working To Translate I

Some Of Trump’s Coronavirus Guidance Is English-Only. Members Of Congress Are Working To Translate It.

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are outraged that President Donald Trump released White House guidelines to address the coronavirus in just one language during the global pandemic .
Now some are taking translations into their own hands to help spread information on how to respond to the pandemic to non-English speakers .
The English-only two-page document titled “ The President ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quick how-to guide of what to do if you feel symptoms or have tested positive for the disease .
The document ultimately directs people to their state and local authorities .
But the White House , in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , have only published an English version of the guidelines .
( The CDC does have some information on its website in other languages . )
Latino Rebels first reported that the guidance was English-only and contacted the White House on Monday night .
The Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines on Twitter Thursday evening .
BOLD PAC , the political arm for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus , created its own translation of the guidelines for Spanish speakers and posted it on Twitter on Tuesday .
A spokesperson for the PAC , Jazmin Vargas , said she relied on BOLD PAC ’ s bilingual staff and double-checked translation with Spanish-language media for the final product .
But , Vargas said , “ the President has the biggest platform in the country.
” “ It is not only cruel but irresponsible for this Administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accessible to everyone — in a language they can understand and trust , ” Rep. Tony Cárdenas , who chairs BOLD PAC , told BuzzFeed News in a statement Wednesday .
`` We are a diverse nation with more than 40 million Americans who speak Spanish at home and over 20 percent of Americans who speak another language .
It 's a failure of leadership on behalf of the White House to ignore this reality.
” More than 25 million US residents self-reported having limited English proficiency , according to census data compiled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused on immigration policy .
A spokesperson for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the lawmaker concurs with BOLD PAC in that “ there has been a dangerous lack of communication to Spanish-speaking communities from White House.
” Asked by BuzzFeed News if it had plans to offer coronavirus information in other languages earlier Wednesday , the White House said it would do so “ as soon as possible ” but did not specify when .
The Spanish language guidelines were posted hours later .
Members of Congress who also represent Asian American communities were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling of information to non-English speakers .
“ It is crucial that we are getting the message out however we can , and the White House and Trump administration definitely has the capability to put out these translations , ” Rep. Grace Meng , who chairs ASPIRE PAC , the political arm for Asian American members of Congress , told BuzzFeed News .
She credited grassroots organizations and “ in-language ” media for helping with translations to the large Asian community that she represents in New York City .
Meng said the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media largely because of the president ’ s anti-Chinese rhetoric when speaking about the pandemic .
In a press conference Wednesday , Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “ China virus ” and denied that the term was racist when pushed by reporters .
“ What happens when you don ’ t have translations , is that , what we ’ re seeing , for example , in the Chinese community , in the Bangladeshi community we have many people who are not able to read or watch mainstream media outlets and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knows where , ” Meng said .
“ But it is in-language and so they are believing it.
” Meng said she ’ s heard rumors in her community along the lines of , “ Oh , someone at a certain supermarket has the virus .
Stay away !
” Rep. Ted Lieu of California echoed Meng ’ s sentiment in a statement to BuzzFeed News .
“ There ’ s lots we don ’ t know about COVID-19 [ the disease caused by the novel coronavirus ] , but what we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone sick — that includes Americans and US residents who speak languages other than English , ” Lieu said .
“ Social distancing and measures to reduce its spread require buy-in from everyone , regardless of whether they speak English , Spanish , Mandarin , Arabic or something else .
We are all safer when all Americans act together to prevent the spread of coronavirus .
For that to work , everyone needs access to critical information .
”

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are outraged that President Donald Trump released White House guidelines to address the coronavirus in just one language during the global pandemic. Now some are taking translations into their own hands to help spread information on how to respond to the pandemic to non-English speakers.
The English-only two-page document titled “The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America” is a quick how-to guide of what to do if you feel symptoms or have tested positive for the disease. The document ultimately directs people to their state and local authorities. But the White House, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have only published an English version of the guidelines. (The CDC does have some information on its website in other languages.)
Latino Rebels first reported that the guidance was English-only and contacted the White House on Monday night. The Trump administration released a Spanish language version of the guidelines on Twitter Thursday evening.
BOLD PAC, the political arm for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, created its own translation of the guidelines for Spanish speakers and posted it on Twitter on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the PAC, Jazmin Vargas, said she relied on BOLD PAC’s bilingual staff and double-checked translation with Spanish-language media for the final product.
But, Vargas said, “the President has the biggest platform in the country.”
“It is not only cruel but irresponsible for this Administration to not make critical public health information accessible to everyone — in a language they can understand and trust,” Rep. Tony Cárdenas, who chairs BOLD PAC, told BuzzFeed News in a statement Wednesday. "We are a diverse nation with more than 40 million Americans who speak Spanish at home and over 20 percent of Americans who speak another language. It's a failure of leadership on behalf of the White House to ignore this reality.”
More than 25 million US residents self-reported having limited English proficiency, according to census data compiled by Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit focused on immigration policy.
A spokesperson for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the lawmaker concurs with BOLD PAC in that “there has been a dangerous lack of communication to Spanish-speaking communities from White House.”
Asked by BuzzFeed News if it had plans to offer coronavirus information in other languages earlier Wednesday, the White House said it would do so “as soon as possible” but did not specify when. The Spanish language guidelines were posted hours later.
Members of Congress who also represent Asian American communities were also dismayed by the administration’s handling of information to non-English speakers.
“It is crucial that we are getting the message out however we can, and the White House and Trump administration definitely has the capability to put out these translations,” Rep. Grace Meng, who chairs ASPIRE PAC, the political arm for Asian American members of Congress, told BuzzFeed News. She credited grassroots organizations and “in-language” media for helping with translations to the large Asian community that she represents in New York City.
Meng said the coronavirus has received lots of attention from ethnic media largely because of the president’s anti-Chinese rhetoric when speaking about the pandemic. In a press conference Wednesday, Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “China virus” and denied that the term was racist when pushed by reporters.
“What happens when you don’t have translations, is that, what we’re seeing, for example, in the Chinese community, in the Bangladeshi community we have many people who are not able to read or watch mainstream media outlets and they are getting false information from God knows where,” Meng said. “But it is in-language and so they are believing it.”
Meng said she’s heard rumors in her community along the lines of, “Oh, someone at a certain supermarket has the virus. Stay away!”
Rep. Ted Lieu of California echoed Meng’s sentiment in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
“There’s lots we don’t know about COVID-19 [the disease caused by the novel coronavirus], but what we do know is that coronavirus can make nearly anyone sick — that includes Americans and US residents who speak languages other than English,” Lieu said. “Social distancing and measures to reduce its spread require buy-in from everyone, regardless of whether they speak English, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic or something else. We are all safer when all Americans act together to prevent the spread of coronavirus. For that to work, everyone needs access to critical information.”


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--How To Help Your Favorite Bookstore During The Coronavirus Epidemic

The interior of Powell 's Books which announced it is laying off most of its employees today .
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
As a series of sweeping social distancing measures keep people home to stop the spread of the coronavirus , independent bookstores are among the many small businesses impacted by government-mandated shutdowns .
Iconic indie bookstores like McNally Jackson in New York and Powell ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid off most , if not all , of their staff .
Fortunately , there are ways to help .
“ Participate in whatever remote shopping initiatives stores offer , ” said Drew Cohen , co-owner of the Writer ’ s Block , an independent bookstore in Las Vegas .
“ If they are doing online sales or if that bookstore works with Libro.fm , which is an audiobook service , this is a great time to get into audiobooks and to sign up.
” Other independent bookstore managers and owners agree .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ locally and with the book community at large ) and with the libraries and schools closed we are making an effort to make it as easy as possible to get books from us , ” wrote Steve Saladino , manager of Skylight Books , a Los Angeles bookstore , in an email .
“ We are offering free Media Mail rate shipping on all book orders .
These orders can be placed on our website or over the phone .
We are also providing curbside pick-up for orders or purchases over the phone.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ help bookstores and their employees during this crisis : Check your local indie bookstore ’ s site to see if it ’ s doing online sales .
IndieBound and Bookshop are also great resources that let you order books online ; bookstores that partner with them receive higher commissions than they would at a site like Amazon .
Many bookshop staffers have been laid off or placed on temporary furlough .
You can help out by donating to them directly .
The Book Industry Charitable Foundation , a resource for booksellers experiencing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donations .
Powell 's Books ' union is accepting donations for laid-off employees here and laid-off employees at McNally Jackson have also set up a PayPal account here .
Find out if your local bookstore offers curbside pickup Some independent bookstores like the Writer ’ s Block in Las Vegas and Books Are Magic in New York are offering curbside pickup , meaning you order on the phone or online and go get your book “ like a pizza , ” as a bookstore owner told the New York Times today .
Call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see if it has this service .
There ’ s never been a better time to get into audiobooks .
Libro.fm is an audiobook service that works directly with independent bookstores .
When you sign up for a ( free ) Libro account , you can choose the bookstore you would like to buy audiobooks from .
Libro splits the profits with indie bookstores .
You can become a monthly member , paying $ 14.99 for one audiobook or can buy audiobooks a la carte .
Either way , Libro is currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two audiobooks for the price of one if you use the code “ SHOPBOOKSTORESNOW.
” “ People are going to be spending their time indoors while we lay low , ” said Cohen .
“ We like that people are still invested in reading.
” ●

As a series of sweeping social distancing measures keep people home to stop the spread of the coronavirus, independent bookstores are among the many small businesses impacted by government-mandated shutdowns. Iconic indie bookstores like McNally Jackson in New York and Powell’s in Portland, Oregon, have laid off most, if not all, of their staff.
Fortunately, there are ways to help.
“Participate in whatever remote shopping initiatives stores offer,” said Drew Cohen, co-owner of the Writer’s Block, an independent bookstore in Las Vegas. “If they are doing online sales or if that bookstore works with Libro.fm, which is an audiobook service, this is a great time to get into audiobooks and to sign up.”
Other independent bookstore managers and owners agree. “We are community oriented (both locally and with the book community at large) and with the libraries and schools closed we are making an effort to make it as easy as possible to get books from us,” wrote Steve Saladino, manager of Skylight Books, a Los Angeles bookstore, in an email. “We are offering free Media Mail rate shipping on all book orders. These orders can be placed on our website or over the phone. We are also providing curbside pick-up for orders or purchases over the phone.”
Here are four concrete ways to help bookstores and their employees during this crisis:
Order books online
Check your local indie bookstore’s site to see if it’s doing online sales. IndieBound and Bookshop are also great resources that let you order books online; bookstores that partner with them receive higher commissions than they would at a site like Amazon.
Donate to bookstore workers
Many bookshop staffers have been laid off or placed on temporary furlough. You can help out by donating to them directly. The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a resource for booksellers experiencing a financial emergency, is taking and matching donations. Powell's Books' union is accepting donations for laid-off employees here and laid-off employees at McNally Jackson have also set up a PayPal account here.
Find out if your local bookstore offers curbside pickup
Some independent bookstores like the Writer’s Block in Las Vegas and Books Are Magic in New York are offering curbside pickup, meaning you order on the phone or online and go get your book “like a pizza,” as a bookstore owner told the New York Times today. Call your local bookstore or browse its website to see if it has this service.
Sign up for Libro.fm
There’s never been a better time to get into audiobooks. Libro.fm is an audiobook service that works directly with independent bookstores. When you sign up for a (free) Libro account, you can choose the bookstore you would like to buy audiobooks from. Libro splits the profits with indie bookstores. You can become a monthly member, paying $14.99 for one audiobook or can buy audiobooks a la carte. Either way, Libro is currently offering a special where you can get two audiobooks for the price of one if you use the code “SHOPBOOKSTORESNOW.”
“People are going to be spending their time indoors while we lay low,” said Cohen. “We like that people are still invested in reading.”●


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--Amazon Is Scrambling To Improve Warehouse Safety Following Employee Outcry

Until Wednesday , the online retailer was insisting its warehouse employees gather to meet before every shift and pack into tight break rooms for meals .
Amazon has plans to hire 100,000 additional workers to meet surging demand amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Amazon has stopped requiring some of its warehouse employees to gather in closely packed groups for “ stand up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconfiguring break rooms to promote social distancing and prevent spread of the coronavirus .
The shift in policy , which workers learned of Wednesday morning , comes in the face of growing protests from hourly workers who have complained to managers and signed petitions demanding that the meetings cease , and also that employees be allowed to keep a safe distance away from their colleagues during the outbreak .
Workers have increasingly expressed fears of getting infected at work , and some warehouse employees in Europe have already tested positive for COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-quarantine buy essential goods online rather than go to physical stores .
The company has struggled to keep its warehouses fully staffed after it offered hourly workers the opportunity to take unpaid time off if they felt sick — some employees report that attendance has been down as much as half in some locations .
On Monday , Amazon announced plans to hire an additional 100,000 hourly employees and to temporarily increase pay for new hires and existing employees by $ 2 an hour .
Most warehouse workers make $ 15 an hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour until April 30 at least .
Last week , Amazon also began instituting mandatory overtime , requiring warehouse workers to come in for one extra shift per week .
In a memo to employees confirming the temporary raise , Amazon said the company was “ helping people around the world in a way that very few can .
Delivering items directly to someone ’ s door has never been more of an essential service , and your work makes it possible.
” Amazon , which employs nearly 800,000 people worldwide , confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand-up meetings and that it was enacting a series of measures to protect workers at this time , including permitting the use of cellphones to allow communications with family and childcare providers .
`` We deeply value our employees and partners around the world as they continue to come to work and serve the people in their communities in a way that very few can—delivering critical supplies directly to the doorsteps of people who need them , '' the company said in a statement .
`` We are going to great lengths to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees practice important precautions such as social distancing and other measures . ''
Five Amazon workers at facilities in Italy and Spain have been diagnosed with COVID-19 , prompting employees at a facility outside Milan to temporarily go on strike over concerns that the online retailer hasn ’ t been doing enough to help prevent spread of the disease .
Amazon said on Tuesday that it would not be shutting down its European facilities in response to the virus .
Although two salaried employees at Amazon ’ s Seattle headquarters have tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been no confirmed reports of any hourly workers — which make up the vast majority of the company ’ s labor force — coming down with the disease in the US to date .
Do you have questions you want answered ?
You can always get in touch .
And if you 're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand , we ’ d also love to hear from you ( you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels ) .
Amazon has been providing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centers , and delivery stations with disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer , but many have complained those are in short supply and that they had been obliged to huddle together for the daily stand-up meetings as well as take their lunch in crowded break rooms .
In one facility , Amazon reduced the number of chairs in the break room to create more space , although employees could still sit facing each other across the table ; it also reduced the number of microwaves from seven to three to create a foot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility on the East Coast said that furniture had been moved “ to maintain a minimum of 3 feet of distance from one another ” in order to practice social distancing .
Despite the new changes , one employee at an Amazon facility in the Midwest said she still has concerns about health standards at Amazon .
“ There [ are ] no stand ups but most containers are out of hand sanitizer and wipes are hard to find , ” this employee , who requested anonymity out of concern she could lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I walked out the front door today and there was a manager vaping right in front the door who blew smoke on me as I was walking out . ''
She added that the warehouse was crowded with workers because of the surging demand .
“ This is the most people I have seen in this building since Christmas , ” she said .
Another Amazon employee from a facility in New York who lives with their 74-year-old parent is worried about being exposed to the virus “ inside Amazon ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen an internal online message board where workers were raising concerns about a lack of hand sanitizer and wipes .
To answer some of those questions , a manager answered , `` We ca n't keep up with demand and we are running out of supplies , ” according to the employee .
The Amazon worker , who requested anonymity , found this unacceptable .
“ They are putting our health and health of customers at risk for profit , '' she said .
Amazon has taken some steps to provide financial help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it said it was establishing a $ 25 million fund to assist employees and third-party contractors impacted by the pandemic ; those people can apply for grants for as much as $ 5,000 .
But concerned employees say further measures are necessary .
Late on Monday , employee activist groups within Amazon announced that more than 1,500 employees worldwide had signed a petition demanding time-and-a-half hazard pay , paid sick leave and child care , as well as improved on-site safety precautions such as doing away with productivity-based performance metrics .
Workers also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time away from their tasks to wash their hands regularly , because they fear falling behind on their strict performance metrics and potentially losing their jobs .
Others , who want to be home to take care of kids who are no longer in school , say they fear that taking too much unpaid leave could get them fired , despite company assurances to the contrary .
Amazon has not responded to these employee demands .
On Tuesday , it sent notes to third party merchants indicating that it would focus its warehouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the counter medication , cleaning supplies , and pet food .
For some high-demand products , such as batteries , the Amazon website now displays a note that “ inventory and delivery may be temporarily unavailable due to increased demand.
” Ted Miin , an employee at an Amazon delivery station in Chicago , said it ’ s proving difficult for warehouse workers to do their jobs while keeping distance from one another despite the measures Amazon has instituted , like marking out six feet of space with tape on the floor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to do is create distance between workers , but this system does not accomplish that in any way , ” he said .
“ You ’ re going to be coming in close contact anyway hundreds of times a day anyway while doing your job.
” Workers say Amazon has not communicated to its employees what other measures are being taken to ensure their safety .
For example , there has been no internal messaging about whether it ’ s safe to handle packages that could potentially carry the virus on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own scanners with disinfectant but worry it ’ s not enough .
“ We ’ re the ones who are going to get hurt and get sick , and it ’ s only going to get worse , ” said Miin .
“ Amazon is just trying to make as much money as they can while our health is sacrificed .
”

Five Amazon workers at facilities in Italy and Spain have been diagnosed with COVID-19, prompting employees at a facility outside Milan to temporarily go on strike over concerns that the online retailer hasn’t been doing enough to help prevent spread of the disease. Amazon said on Tuesday that it would not be shutting down its European facilities in response to the virus.
Although two salaried employees at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters have tested positive for the COVID-19, to date there have been no confirmed reports of any hourly workers — which make up the vast majority of the company’s labor force — coming down with the disease in the US to date.
Do you have questions you want answered? You can always get in touch. And if you're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand, we’d also love to hear from you (you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels).
Amazon has been providing workers at its fulfillment centers, sortation centers, and delivery stations with disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, but many have complained those are in short supply and that they had been obliged to huddle together for the daily stand-up meetings as well as take their lunch in crowded break rooms.
In one facility, Amazon reduced the number of chairs in the break room to create more space, although employees could still sit facing each other across the table; it also reduced the number of microwaves from seven to three to create a foot of space between them. Signs at one facility on the East Coast said that furniture had been moved “to maintain a minimum of 3 feet of distance from one another” in order to practice social distancing.
Despite the new changes, one employee at an Amazon facility in the Midwest said she still has concerns about health standards at Amazon.
“There [are] no stand ups but most containers are out of hand sanitizer and wipes are hard to find,” this employee, who requested anonymity out of concern she could lose her job, told BuzzFeed News. “I walked out the front door today and there was a manager vaping right in front the door who blew smoke on me as I was walking out." She added that the warehouse was crowded with workers because of the surging demand. “This is the most people I have seen in this building since Christmas,” she said.
Another Amazon employee from a facility in New York who lives with their 74-year-old parent is worried about being exposed to the virus “inside Amazon’s petri dish.”


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--How To Plague: Our Advice Column on Work, Playdates, and Hand Jobs in the Age of COVID-19

We 're trying our best to answer your ethical and social dilemmas about how to live responsibly through this pandemic .
Hi , I ’ m Katie Notopoulos , a tech reporter here at BuzzFeed News , and I have no actual expertise in epidemiology , but I sure do enjoy telling people how to live their lives .
Which means I ’ m the perfect person to tell you How to Plague .
This is BuzzFeed News ' advice column for these incredibly confusing times , in which I ’ ll try to help with your queries about social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small , and call up some actual experts to weigh in when needed .
The coronavirus pandemic is changing rapidly , with new information coming out seemingly by the hour .
Just a few days ago “ should I cancel my vacation ” seemed like a reasonable question ( ha ha , remember last week ?
We were all so young then ) .
Send me your questions at katie @ buzzfeed.com , or sign up for our text messaging service to send me questions that way .
Our company is now officially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my department , they are going to require a few of us to get together for a meeting somewhere offsite tomorrow .
Do I just go ?
Do I protest ?
I ’ m not sick , but we know people who are asymptomatic can spread this disease .
I know some people have no choice for work , so do I just suck it up and submit to this ?
Your boss is 100 % wrong .
You should not be getting together to work offsite if you have the ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course , is how to protest without seeming like a shitty employee who just wants to goof off all day in pajamas .
My advice is to leverage a time-tested tactic for establishing workers ’ rights : strength in numbers .
Start by discreetly asking your other team members how they ’ re feeling about your boss ’ s plan .
You ’ ll probably find that a lot of your colleagues feel the same : They are worried about it but don ’ t want to be the only one to complain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boss as a group that you don ’ t feel comfortable .
Maybe your boss is a coldhearted jerk , but I ’ ll hold out hope that they ’ re just unaware of the risks of gathering at this point in time .
The situation is changing really fast .
I mean , Jared Leto just found out about this whole thing on Monday !
Send your boss an email with links to news articles like this and this to help make your point , and say that the team has raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their families .
Your case will be a lot stronger , though , if instead of just saying no , you offer some viable alternatives .
How about a Zoom video chat meeting , or even something like a team-building exercise where everyone video chats during their lunchtime ?
Hey , if we ’ re all living in a dystopian timeline , might as well go for it with a whimsical background on Zoom .
Can my kids have a playdate with the other kids in my apartment building/next door who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some families who may not have options if both parents have to go to work .
But for everyone else , I ’ m afraid the answer is no .
The safest thing to do is to keep your kids home and away from other people , even if it really , really sucks .
In the best-case scenario , your family and your next-door neighbor family are both healthy , have not been exposed , are not interacting with anyone else , and you can treat yourselves as one big huge family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve all already been isolating for the last two weeks , any one of you could already be infected but not yet showing it .
And then both families would be at risk .
Even if you have self-quarantined for two weeks , can you really be sure they didn ’ t bend the rules even once ?
Are there circumstances under which you might feel justified bending the rules ?
Would you want them to know ?
What if you do a playdate now and tomorrow you start showing symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and see how it goes for a few days .
Okay , this is super gross and I 'm sorry in advance , but does relegating it to a hand job count as social distancing ?
Obviously , if you ’ re making physical contact of any kind , you ’ re within the 6 feet of recommended distance .
So , no , HJs are not social distancing .
But how dangerous is it ?
In theory , hand jobs are safer than kissing or other mouth-related activities , because they don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ droplets ” like a cough or sneeze would .
( Though I don ’ t know what your thing is .
Maybe it ’ s sneezing while furiously cranking the hog , in which case , definitely avoid . )
The question is , then , if semen can carry the coronavirus .
So I put this extremely urgent question to Dr. Stanley Perlman , professor of microbiology , immunology , and pediatrics at the University of Iowa .
“ I have not heard of any sexual transmission , but infectious virus may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ I do not know how common it is .
Washing hands should alleviate this risk , especially with this type of sex.
” Basically , don ’ t give out handies to strangers at the grocery store , but if it ’ s someone you ’ re already quarantining with , well , just wash your hands after .
Which is probably good advice in any situation — even those situations that , for whatever reason , do not involve hand jobs .

Our company is now officially working from home. However, in my department, they are going to require a few of us to get together for a meeting somewhere offsite tomorrow. Do I just go? Do I protest? I’m not sick, but we know people who are asymptomatic can spread this disease. I know some people have no choice for work, so do I just suck it up and submit to this?
Your boss is 100% wrong. You should not be getting together to work offsite if you have the ability to work remotely. The issue, of course, is how to protest without seeming like a shitty employee who just wants to goof off all day in pajamas.
My advice is to leverage a time-tested tactic for establishing workers’ rights: strength in numbers. Start by discreetly asking your other team members how they’re feeling about your boss’s plan. You’ll probably find that a lot of your colleagues feel the same: They are worried about it but don’t want to be the only one to complain.
Use this leverage to tell your boss as a group that you don’t feel comfortable.
Maybe your boss is a coldhearted jerk, but I’ll hold out hope that they’re just unaware of the risks of gathering at this point in time. The situation is changing really fast. I mean, Jared Leto just found out about this whole thing on Monday! Send your boss an email with links to news articles like this and this to help make your point, and say that the team has raised concerns about their own health and that of their families.
Your case will be a lot stronger, though, if instead of just saying no, you offer some viable alternatives. How about a Zoom video chat meeting, or even something like a team-building exercise where everyone video chats during their lunchtime? Hey, if we’re all living in a dystopian timeline, might as well go for it with a whimsical background on Zoom.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--Conservative Media Still Isn't Sure What To Think About The Coronavirus

On Monday afternoon , as portions of the United States planned to shut down due to the novel coronavirus , the right-wing website Gateway Pundit delivered a message : It was misinformation .
“ The Coronavirus Fatality Rate Reported by the Media Is COMPLETELY INACCURATE , ” the pro-Trump site said .
“ The Actual Rate Is LESS THAN THE FLU – MEDIA LYING AGAIN !
” The claim that the “ liberal media ” concocted a coronavirus panic followed a pattern that has occurred in hyperpartisan media from the beginning of the crisis : downplaying its significance , blaming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hammering Democrats for trying to capitalize on it .
All this has had an impact : Only 40 % of Republicans now say the coronavirus is a real threat , down from 72 % last month .
“ Don ’ t believe what the media is telling you , ” the Gateway Pundit said .
But , in their efforts to protect the president ( who finally seems to have grasped the virus ’ s full dangers ) , the Gateway Pundit , One America News Network , and Fox News run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration , including impeachment , Russian election interference , and payouts to Stormy Daniels , the coronavirus could kill large numbers of viewers or readers .
If it did , it might be hard to rebuild trust .
“ It 's definitely a risk , ” Mohamad Bazzi , an associate professor of journalism at NYU , told BuzzFeed News .
“ This feels like a culmination of the risk-taking , where it 's now putting tens and hundreds of thousands of American lives at risk , as opposed to some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts of the world.
” “ What 's different about this crisis , compared to constant cascading of crises the Trump administration has either caused or made worse , is that people can actually see what 's happening , ” Eric Alterman , distinguished professor of English and journalism at Brooklyn College and author of Lying in State , told BuzzFeed News .
“ They could n't really see what was happening at the border .
They could n't really see what was happening in Puerto Rico .
They could n't really see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ukraine .
But this one people can see.
” Still , a reckoning for the pro-Trump media is not assured .
“ It seems to have been absolutely correct when Trump said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and his people would n't give a shit , ” Alterman said .
“ So it 's quite possible that as long as they have someone to blame — the liberal media , immigrants , China — he can keep it up .
Nobody knows how long .
I 'm not making a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think we 're already seeing the signs of a shift from Trump and from his supporters to basically pretend that the last two months did n't happen , ” he said .
“ To say he 'd been planning for this and preparing for this all along.
” Many on Fox News are only now warning of the virus ’ s dangers , after weeks of shrugging it off , as the fast-moving pandemic has changed peoples ' lives — and minds .
Jesse Watters , a personality on Fox News ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s taking social distancing seriously , after claiming earlier this month that he wasn ’ t afraid of the virus .
Last Friday , Fox Business put Trish Regan ’ s show on hiatus after she said the coronavirus was “ another attempt to impeach the president.
” And Fox News ’ Tucker Carlson ’ s warning about the dangers of the coronavirus last Monday — a break with his network ’ s broader tone — resonated with the president .
But while Fox News appeared to be coming around to the expert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , late on Tuesday , the Gateway Pundit published a story claiming the World Health Organization had `` severely overstated the fatality rate '' of the outbreak .

On Monday afternoon, as portions of the United States planned to shut down due to the novel coronavirus, the right-wing website Gateway Pundit delivered a message: It was misinformation.
“The Coronavirus Fatality Rate Reported by the Media Is COMPLETELY INACCURATE,” the pro-Trump site said. “The Actual Rate Is LESS THAN THE FLU – MEDIA LYING AGAIN!”
The claim that the “liberal media” concocted a coronavirus panic followed a pattern that has occurred in hyperpartisan media from the beginning of the crisis: downplaying its significance, blaming the mainstream media for overhyping it, and hammering Democrats for trying to capitalize on it. All this has had an impact: Only 40% of Republicans now say the coronavirus is a real threat, down from 72% last month.
“Don’t believe what the media is telling you,” the Gateway Pundit said.
But, in their efforts to protect the president (who finally seems to have grasped the virus’s full dangers), the Gateway Pundit, One America News Network, and Fox News run a risk.
Unlike previous challenges for the Trump administration, including impeachment, Russian election interference, and payouts to Stormy Daniels, the coronavirus could kill large numbers of viewers or readers. If it did, it might be hard to rebuild trust.
“It's definitely a risk,” Mohamad Bazzi, an associate professor of journalism at NYU, told BuzzFeed News. “This feels like a culmination of the risk-taking, where it's now putting tens and hundreds of thousands of American lives at risk, as opposed to some other risks that might have impacted other parts of the world.”
“What's different about this crisis, compared to constant cascading of crises the Trump administration has either caused or made worse, is that people can actually see what's happening,” Eric Alterman, distinguished professor of English and journalism at Brooklyn College and author of Lying in State, told BuzzFeed News. “They couldn't really see what was happening at the border. They couldn't really see what was happening in Puerto Rico. They couldn't really see whatever the hell he did with Russia and Ukraine. But this one people can see.”
Still, a reckoning for the pro-Trump media is not assured. “It seems to have been absolutely correct when Trump said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and his people wouldn't give a shit,” Alterman said. “So it's quite possible that as long as they have someone to blame — the liberal media, immigrants, China — he can keep it up. Nobody knows how long. I'm not making a prediction.”
Bazzi felt similarly. “I think we're already seeing the signs of a shift from Trump and from his supporters to basically pretend that the last two months didn't happen,” he said. “To say he'd been planning for this and preparing for this all along.”
Many on Fox News are only now warning of the virus’s dangers, after weeks of shrugging it off, as the fast-moving pandemic has changed peoples' lives — and minds. Jesse Watters, a personality on Fox News’ The Five, said Monday he’s taking social distancing seriously, after claiming earlier this month that he wasn’t afraid of the virus. Last Friday, Fox Business put Trish Regan’s show on hiatus after she said the coronavirus was “another attempt to impeach the president.” And Fox News’ Tucker Carlson’s warning about the dangers of the coronavirus last Monday — a break with his network’s broader tone — resonated with the president.
But while Fox News appeared to be coming around to the expert consensus on the severity of the pandemic, late on Tuesday, the Gateway Pundit published a story claiming the World Health Organization had "severely overstated the fatality rate" of the outbreak.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-06--This Is What You Need To Know About Coronavirus If Your Kid Has Asthma

`` Birthday parties are important , but probably not if it 's going to get you sick . ''
Anyone with an underlying respiratory condition , such as asthma , could be at risk if they become infected with the novel coronavirus , but doctors say there is some possible good news for parents worried about their children with asthma .
Although there is still a lot more to learn about COVID-19 and about how it affects children , the data so far suggests that children have been infected in much smaller numbers than adults , and few of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus have shown severe symptoms .
Still , doctors warn that anyone with underlying respiratory issues could experience severe symptoms if infected with the coronavirus , so parents should still stay vigilant and take the same kind of precautions they would to protect their kids from the flu .
`` Unlike the H1N1 outbreak that significantly impacted children , that 's not been the case so far with the current virus , '' Dr. Steve Krug , a pediatric emergency expert with the American Academy of Pediatrics and former chair of the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` But there are children who have been hospitalized and children can of course get sick . ''
Medical officials preface this with the fact that there is still a lot to learn about COVID-19 , and even more to learn about its impact on specific populations like young children .
Dr. Greg Poland , professor of infectious diseases and director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group , likened the information on the novel coronavirus to a pixelated photo downloading in a browser .
`` We 're in that 50 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BuzzFeed News .
`` We do n't have enough of the pixels to get all the answers . ''
What is known so far , Poland pointed out , is that children seem to be at a lower risk of developing serious symptoms from the virus .
Of the first 72,000 cases that were reported in China , for example , the death rate for anyone under 39 years old was 0.2 % .
Although with many infectious diseases children are considered an at-risk population , the data so far shows that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not been hit hard by the virus so far .
There are still many unknowns when it comes to the virus itself , and specifically how it impacts children , including rate of infection , what role children have played in spreading the virus , and whether they are more susceptible .
However , a recent study by the World Health Organization found people 18 years of age or younger comprised only 2.4 % of all known coronavirus cases .
Children were also seen to be experiencing milder symptoms than adults , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected — 2.5 % — experienced severe symptoms .
The CDC concurs , noting that kids who have been infected `` have generally presented with mild symptoms , and though severe complications ( acute respiratory distress syndrome , septic shock ) have been reported , they appear to be uncommon . ''
And although some children have not shown symptoms , Krug pointed out that researchers are still looking at the possibility that children could be infected with the virus and helping it spread , despite not being physically impacted by it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ population remains people who are over 60 , especially those who have hypertension , diabetes , cardiovascular disease , chronic respiratory diseases , or cancer .
Children with health conditions , the agency noted , could also be at higher risk of severe infection .
`` Asthma is definitely a risk factor , '' Poland said .
`` The most immediate thing they [ parents ] can do tomorrow is to make sure that child and everyone else in the family has flu vaccines . ''
That 's because with the chance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the possibility of another kind of infection — like influenza — could certainly help keep parents ' minds at ease .
`` At least by getting the flu shot you reduce the number of people who are going to be getting anxiety over it , '' he said .
Parents of children with asthma would , hopefully , already be taking precautions to protect their children from contracting the flu , which could also have serious impacts on a child with asthma .
`` In the case of the coronavirus being a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that parents who have kids who have pulmonary diseases , including asthma , should adopt the same precautions they would hopefully be taking in the case of the flu , '' Poland said .
The tips offered by health officials are similar to those for the general public .
`` You got ta teach kids that you never touch your face or eat until you wash your hands , '' Poland said .
Teaching kids to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing is a reasonable step to take , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ underlying respiratory issues , should also be considered by parents .
`` If you 're in a city where there has been an outbreak , I probably would n't send my kids to school , '' Poland said .
`` If your kid is sick , do n't send them to school .
I know it 's inconvenient . ''
Children who do get sick , he said , should stay home at least 24 to 48 hours after the fever is gone .
`` This is transmitted the same way as influenza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said .
`` Everyone thinks they know how to wash their hands .
I 've never seen a lay person wash their hands properly . ''
Parents should also make sure that they have adequate supplies of their children 's asthma medication as well as a backup .
But Krug pointed out there is no need to start hoarding inhalers .
`` It 's about sensible , day-to-day behaviors , '' he said .
`` Birthday parties are important , but probably not if it 's going to get you @ @ @

There are still many unknowns when it comes to the virus itself, and specifically how it impacts children, including rate of infection, what role children have played in spreading the virus, and whether they are more susceptible.
However, a recent study by the World Health Organization found people 18 years of age or younger comprised only 2.4% of all known coronavirus cases.
Children were also seen to be experiencing milder symptoms than adults, and only a small percentage of children infected — 2.5% — experienced severe symptoms.
The CDC concurs, noting that kids who have been infected "have generally presented with mild symptoms, and though severe complications (acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock) have been reported, they appear to be uncommon."
And although some children have not shown symptoms, Krug pointed out that researchers are still looking at the possibility that children could be infected with the virus and helping it spread, despite not being physically impacted by it.
According to the WHO, the highest-risk population remains people who are over 60, especially those who have hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, or cancer.
Children with health conditions, the agency noted, could also be at higher risk of severe infection.
"Asthma is definitely a risk factor," Poland said. "The most immediate thing they [parents] can do tomorrow is to make sure that child and everyone else in the family has flu vaccines."
That's because with the chance of COVID-19 spreading across the US, ruling out the possibility of another kind of infection — like influenza — could certainly help keep parents' minds at ease.
"At least by getting the flu shot you reduce the number of people who are going to be getting anxiety over it," he said.
Parents of children with asthma would, hopefully, already be taking precautions to protect their children from contracting the flu, which could also have serious impacts on a child with asthma.
"In the case of the coronavirus being a respiratory virus, it stands to reason that parents who have kids who have pulmonary diseases, including asthma, should adopt the same precautions they would hopefully be taking in the case of the flu," Poland said.
The tips offered by health officials are similar to those for the general public.
"You gotta teach kids that you never touch your face or eat until you wash your hands," Poland said.
Teaching kids to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing is a reasonable step to take, he said. Social distancing, especially with children with underlying respiratory issues, should also be considered by parents.
"If you're in a city where there has been an outbreak, I probably wouldn't send my kids to school," Poland said. "If your kid is sick, don't send them to school. I know it's inconvenient."
Children who do get sick, he said, should stay home at least 24 to 48 hours after the fever is gone.
"This is transmitted the same way as influenza, the problem is nobody does it," he said. "Everyone thinks they know how to wash their hands. I've never seen a lay person wash their hands properly."
Parents should also make sure that they have adequate supplies of their children's asthma medication as well as a backup. But Krug pointed out there is no need to start hoarding inhalers.
"It's about sensible, day-to-day behaviors," he said. "Birthday parties are important, but probably not if it's going to get you sick."