npr--2020-11-11--Protecting Women Against HIV Just Got 9 Times Easier

Protecting Women Against HIV Just Got 9 Times Easier While an effective vaccine against HIV may still be a long way off , a new HIV prevention technique has proven remarkably effective at protecting women against the virus .
A single injection of a drug called cabotegravir every two months was so successful in preventing HIV in a clinical trial among women in sub-Saharan Africa that the study was wrapped up ahead of schedule .
The study , run by the HIV Prevention Trials Network , was looking at two forms of pre-exposure prophylaxis or ( PrEP ) aimed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administering low doses of anti-AIDS drugs to people who are HIV negative as a way to protect them from infection .
The study compared the effectiveness of the new long-acting injectable against the current form of PrEP , a daily pill of Truvada .
The findings were announced by the study 's researchers on Monday .
`` This is a major , major advance , '' said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a briefing .
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , which was involved in the study , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working on HIV/AIDS .
`` This is a really good day for biomedical research , '' he said .
Until now , the main forms of HIV prevention for heterosexual women have been abstinence , condoms or PrEP with Truvada .
Truvada and cabotegravir are both antiretroviral drugs , medicines that have been incredibly effective in controlling HIV infections .
In the study of more than 3,000 women across 20 sites in sub-Saharan Africa , the cabotegravir injections were found to be 9 times more effective than Truvada .
`` I do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this study , '' Fauci said in the briefing , announcing that the trial had been called to an end early because cabotegravir was clearly superior to the current form of PrEP .
`` One of the stumbling blocks in our prevention [ efforts against HIV ] has been the inconsistency or lack of efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis in those who need it the most , '' Fauci said .
`` Namely young women , particularly those in southern Africa . ''
Last year an additional 1.7 million people were infected with HIV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in Africa .
Rates of infection remain high in many African countries .
In South Africa and Botswana nearly 20 % of teens and adults between the ages of 15 and 49 are living with the virus .
In Eswatini , also known as Swaziland , 27 % of all adults are HIV-positive .
Pre-exposure prophylaxis trials — in which participants take a daily oral pill of Truvada — have been shown to be highly effective at preventing new HIV infections .
But PrEP programs have been less effective in the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so successful ?
It 's easier to administer an injection every other month than it is to make sure someone takes a pill every day , says Sinead Delany-Moretlwe , one of the lead investigators on the new study and head of research at Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg , South Africa .
That gives cabotegravir an `` adherence advantage '' over Truvada , she says .
`` What our results show is that cabotegravir was indeed superior to Truvada in preventing HIV infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 3,223 women in the study , half were getting Truvada and half were getting the injection .
Three years after enrolling in the program , there were 34 HIV infections among women on Truvada versus just 4 in the group getting cabotegravir .
This dramatic difference is striking in part because Truvada is already considered in the AIDS community to be a useful prevention tool .
Cabotegravir lingers in a person 's body well past two months , raising the possibility of spacing injections out even further — perhaps just twice a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another study which came out earlier this year also found cabotegravir to be equally impressive in preventing HIV transmission among men who have sex with men .
Fauci is n't the only HIV specialist to hail this new finding .
Leading infectious disease experts hailed the announcement of cabotegravir 's success as `` blockbuster '' news and a potential `` game-changer '' for women .
Professor Monica Gandhi , a top HIV researcher at the University of San Francisco who was not involved in the new cabotegravir study in Africa , calls the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Women need options for HIV prevention , as women worldwide may not always be able to control their own risk of HIV infection , '' Gandhi told NPR .
`` Another option for HIV prevention is exciting and ground-breaking , '' she said .
Cabotegravir is already approved in Canada for treatment of HIV as part of a combination drug therapy sold under the brand name Cabenuva .
ViiV Healthcare , which developed cabotegravir , plans to seek regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the drug both as pre-exposure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first half of 2021 which could pave the way for its use in low-income countries .

Protecting Women Against HIV Just Got 9 Times Easier
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bram Janssen/AP Bram Janssen/AP
While an effective vaccine against HIV may still be a long way off, a new HIV prevention technique has proven remarkably effective at protecting women against the virus.
A single injection of a drug called cabotegravir every two months was so successful in preventing HIV in a clinical trial among women in sub-Saharan Africa that the study was wrapped up ahead of schedule.
The study, run by the HIV Prevention Trials Network, was looking at two forms of pre-exposure prophylaxis or (PrEP) aimed at women. PrEP is a technique of administering low doses of anti-AIDS drugs to people who are HIV negative as a way to protect them from infection. The study compared the effectiveness of the new long-acting injectable against the current form of PrEP, a daily pill of Truvada.
The findings were announced by the study's researchers on Monday.
"This is a major, major advance," said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a briefing. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which was involved in the study, Fauci has spent much of his career working on HIV/AIDS.
"This is a really good day for biomedical research," he said.
Until now, the main forms of HIV prevention for heterosexual women have been abstinence, condoms or PrEP with Truvada.
Truvada and cabotegravir are both antiretroviral drugs, medicines that have been incredibly effective in controlling HIV infections.
In the study of more than 3,000 women across 20 sites in sub-Saharan Africa, the cabotegravir injections were found to be 9 times more effective than Truvada.
"I don't think we can overemphasize the importance of this study," Fauci said in the briefing, announcing that the trial had been called to an end early because cabotegravir was clearly superior to the current form of PrEP.
"One of the stumbling blocks in our prevention [efforts against HIV] has been the inconsistency or lack of efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis in those who need it the most," Fauci said. "Namely young women, particularly those in southern Africa."
Last year an additional 1.7 million people were infected with HIV globally. Roughly 1 million of them were in Africa.
Rates of infection remain high in many African countries. In South Africa and Botswana nearly 20% of teens and adults between the ages of 15 and 49 are living with the virus. In Eswatini, also known as Swaziland, 27% of all adults are HIV-positive.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis trials — in which participants take a daily oral pill of Truvada — have been shown to be highly effective at preventing new HIV infections. But PrEP programs have been less effective in the real world.
Why was this new treatment so successful? It's easier to administer an injection every other month than it is to make sure someone takes a pill every day, says Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, one of the lead investigators on the new study and head of research at Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. That gives cabotegravir an "adherence advantage" over Truvada, she says.
"What our results show is that cabotegravir was indeed superior to Truvada in preventing HIV infection," she says. Out of the 3,223 women in the study, half were getting Truvada and half were getting the injection. Three years after enrolling in the program, there were 34 HIV infections among women on Truvada versus just 4 in the group getting cabotegravir. This dramatic difference is striking in part because Truvada is already considered in the AIDS community to be a useful prevention tool.
Cabotegravir lingers in a person's body well past two months, raising the possibility of spacing injections out even further — perhaps just twice a year, some researchers have suggested.
Another study which came out earlier this year also found cabotegravir to be equally impressive in preventing HIV transmission among men who have sex with men.
Fauci isn't the only HIV specialist to hail this new finding. Leading infectious disease experts hailed the announcement of cabotegravir's success as "blockbuster" news and a potential "game-changer" for women.
Professor Monica Gandhi, a top HIV researcher at the University of San Francisco who was not involved in the new cabotegravir study in Africa, calls the results "exciting news."
"Women need options for HIV prevention, as women worldwide may not always be able to control their own risk of HIV infection," Gandhi told NPR. "Another option for HIV prevention is exciting and ground-breaking," she said.
Cabotegravir is already approved in Canada for treatment of HIV as part of a combination drug therapy sold under the brand name Cabenuva. ViiV Healthcare, which developed cabotegravir, plans to seek regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the drug both as pre-exposure prophylaxis and as a treatment in the first half of 2021 which could pave the way for its use in low-income countries.


npr--2020-11-11--President Trump Makes No Remarks During Veterans Day Observance At Arlington

President Trump Makes No Remarks During Veterans Day Observance At Arlington President Trump made his first official public appearance since Election Day on Wednesday , observing Veterans Day in a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery .
Trump , who is defying declarations that he lost his reelection bid , did not speak at the event .
The president and his entourage – including first lady Melania Trump , Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence – did not arrive at the tomb until well after the scheduled start time of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's motorcade was still driving toward the tomb as a gun salute to veterans rang out , according to the White House pool report .
It was n't until nearly 11:25 that the president appeared on a walkway in front of the tomb , where he stood alongside Pence in a steady rain .
Trump walked toward the wreath , laid a hand on it , paused and then returned to his spot .
The ceremony was over soon afterwards .
It was the only event listed on the president 's public schedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife , Jill Biden , attended a separate ceremony in Philadelphia , where they honored veterans at the Korean War Memorial .
That event included several brief speeches by veterans , with Biden looking on .
Like Trump , he did not deliver a speech .
The Bidens took part in a wreath-laying ceremony , carrying a wreath together that they placed it at the base of the memorial .
After the event , the couple remained at the site to speak with other attendees .
Trump has refused to concede the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been declared to have captured enough electoral votes to win the White House thanks to significant leads in key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan .
The president is attempting to challenge the results with lawsuits , most of which have failed .
Previous Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington have also been brief , but some details set this year 's event apart : It was closed to the public because of COVID-19 safety guidelines ; and the president did not make a speech at the cemetery 's Memorial Amphitheater after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that portion of the proceedings has often featured a speech honoring members of the U.S. armed services , along with a prayer service and performances by military musicians .
In addition to coronavirus restrictions , Arlington National Cemetery says the amphitheater is closed for renovations ; it 's slated to reopen to the public late this month .
Trump and several other administration officials did not wear face masks , despite Arlington National Cemetery requirements that state , `` All visitors are to follow social distancing requirements and wear face coverings while on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face covering in their possession at cemetery entry points will not be granted access to the cemetery . ''

President Trump Makes No Remarks During Veterans Day Observance At Arlington
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump made his first official public appearance since Election Day on Wednesday, observing Veterans Day in a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump, who is defying declarations that he lost his reelection bid, did not speak at the event.
The president and his entourage – including first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence – did not arrive at the tomb until well after the scheduled start time of 11 a.m. ET. The president's motorcade was still driving toward the tomb as a gun salute to veterans rang out, according to the White House pool report.
YouTube
It wasn't until nearly 11:25 that the president appeared on a walkway in front of the tomb, where he stood alongside Pence in a steady rain. Trump walked toward the wreath, laid a hand on it, paused and then returned to his spot. The ceremony was over soon afterwards. It was the only event listed on the president's public schedule for Wednesday.
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, attended a separate ceremony in Philadelphia, where they honored veterans at the Korean War Memorial. That event included several brief speeches by veterans, with Biden looking on. Like Trump, he did not deliver a speech.
The Bidens took part in a wreath-laying ceremony, carrying a wreath together that they placed it at the base of the memorial. After the event, the couple remained at the site to speak with other attendees.
Trump has refused to concede the presidential election to Biden, who has been declared to have captured enough electoral votes to win the White House thanks to significant leads in key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan. The president is attempting to challenge the results with lawsuits, most of which have failed.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Al Drago/Getty Images Al Drago/Getty Images
Previous Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington have also been brief, but some details set this year's event apart: It was closed to the public because of COVID-19 safety guidelines; and the president did not make a speech at the cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater after the formal wreath-laying.
In the past, that portion of the proceedings has often featured a speech honoring members of the U.S. armed services, along with a prayer service and performances by military musicians.
In addition to coronavirus restrictions, Arlington National Cemetery says the amphitheater is closed for renovations; it's slated to reopen to the public late this month.
Trump and several other administration officials did not wear face masks, despite Arlington National Cemetery requirements that state, "All visitors are to follow social distancing requirements and wear face coverings while on cemetery grounds. Anyone not having a face covering in their possession at cemetery entry points will not be granted access to the cemetery."


npr--2020-11-11--Post-Election: Where Do We Go From Here, And How Do We Get There?

Post-Election : Where Do We Go From Here , And How Do We Get There ?
The presidential election underscored @ @ @ @ @ .
After a contentious campaign season , Joe Biden is now the president-elect .
But @ @ @ @ @ the results , and he has pledged to fight in court and pursue recounts in @ @ @ @ @ does the country go from here ?
How do you think Americans can move forward @ @ @ @ @ you doing anything personally to help overcome the discord ?
What are your hopes as @ @ @ @ @ new administration ?
Please fill out the form below , and we may contact you @ @ @ @ @ submission will be governed by our general Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .
As @ @ @ @ @ we want you to be aware that there may be circumstances in which the exemptions @ @ @ @ @ activities or freedom of expression may override privacy rights you might otherwise have .
Piper @ @ @ @ @ NPR 's National Desk .

Post-Election: Where Do We Go From Here, And How Do We Get There?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The presidential election underscored deep divisions in U.S. society. After a contentious campaign season, Joe Biden is now the president-elect. But President Trump has not accepted the results, and he has pledged to fight in court and pursue recounts in some states.
So where does the country go from here? How do you think Americans can move forward as a nation? Are you doing anything personally to help overcome the discord? What are your hopes as we move forward with a new administration?
This callout is closed.
Your submission will be governed by our general Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. As the Privacy Policy says, we want you to be aware that there may be circumstances in which the exemptions provided under law for journalistic activities or freedom of expression may override privacy rights you might otherwise have.
Piper McDaniel is an intern on NPR's National Desk.


npr--2020-11-11--From Stinky Cheese To Cat Pee, Author Takes A 'Nose Dive' Into The Science Of Smell

From Stinky Cheese To Cat Pee , Author Takes A 'Nose Dive ' Into The Science Of Smell Food science writer Harold McGee was in the middle of writing Nose Dive , his book about the science of smell , when he woke up one morning and realized that he could n't smell his own coffee .
Loss of smell has since become associated with COVID-19 .
In McGee 's case , it was the byproduct of a sinus infection .
McGee remembers feeling panicked .
`` I have friends in the kind of clinical side of taste and smell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to find out what I could do and why this had happened , '' he says .
`` And they basically said , 'You 're going to have to wait and see . '
`` Over the course of a few months , McGee 's sense of smell gradually returned .
But he still remembers what it was like to live in an odorless world .
`` It 's the kind of thing where you do n't notice something until it 's gone , '' he says .
`` I spent less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no point in going out to restaurants because I was n't really going to enjoy it . ''
McGee 's new book is about how smell is essential to our sense of taste , why things smell the way they do and the ways different chemicals combine to create surprising ( and sometimes distasteful ) odors .
`` One of the great pleasures of delving into smells in general was discovering over and over again that things that we enjoy in foods are actually found elsewhere in the world , '' he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as cat pee and human sweat , for example . ''
On why cooking creates an aroma It does so , in fact , by kind of doing what it is that microbes are doing in fermented foods and inside us .
It 's breaking down these large , complicated molecules like proteins and fats , which are too big to have an aroma because they 're not able to fly through the air and reach our nose .
Cooking — using heat , energy — breaks apart those large molecules into smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we experience as the typical aromas of cooking foods .
On why smell is so important in tasting food It turns out to be the dominant sense in our appreciation and perception of food .
... What we call `` flavor '' — the overall quality of a food , [ the ] sensory quality of food — is built of several different sensations .
One of them is taste on the tongue , which is limited to about a half dozen to a dozen different sensations : sweet , sour , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like that .
And then the sense of smell is actually able to distinguish among hundreds , thousands , maybe many more than thousands of molecules .
And so the distinctiveness of particular foods really comes from our perception of their aromas — their smells — and not so much their taste .
On why some cheese smells like vomit The reason that there is that kind of crossover is that both of those materials -- the cheese and the vomit — contain a number of different volatile molecules that we can smell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in both of them is butyric acid , which is a breakdown product , a small fragment of ordinary fats that we find in foods of all kinds — especially cheese — which is very rich in animal fats .
So when cheeses are fermented by microbes , those microbes , in the process of the fermentation , break down some of the animal fats , the ... milk fats into butyric acid .
And that 's an element of flavor which actually becomes stronger and stronger with time .
There 's also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff that we have upchucked has been in our stomach — we 've been breaking it down into its components , and butyric acid is a prominent component in almost everything we have .
That echo is from that molecule and maybe a few others , and our reaction to that molecule is dependent on the context .
If we 're sitting down at a table and cutting ourselves a piece of cheese , it 's a nice kind of accent in the flavor of that cheese .
If we 're feeling really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then it 's a very different context .
On why grass-fed beef tastes different than grain-fed beef It 's absolutely true that the foods that animals eat in order to grow affect the way they taste when we , in turn , eat them as food .
And in the case of grass and grain-fed animals , the difference is in the kinds of fat that they take in .
So it 's not that we 're actually tasting grass or tasting grain when we detect the difference between the two .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the oils in grass — are very irregular molecules , and they tend to be broken down in the animal into particular fragments that are very characteristic of those original fats and oils .
When we feed animals with grain , we give them a very different diet .
The fats and oils in grains are very different from the fats and oils in the grass .
The other thing about a grain diet is that it 's a much richer diet , of course , than pasture feeding .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meat is much fattier , and we 're tasting predominantly the fats from the grains .
When we have grass-fed beef , it 's much leaner .
They 're just different , and different people in different countries have different preferences .
We in America tend to prefer the flavor of grain-fed beef because that 's what we 've been used to for decades now .
But in other parts of the world , in South America , where a lot of beef is raised , and in Europe , the flavor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fisheries experimenting on what to feed fish They are , in fact , trying out better ways to make fish , in a sense , taste fishier because aquaculture is becoming more and more important for sparing the wild populations in the oceans .
Many of the animals — many of the fish — in the oceans eat other fish .
And so it does n't really do that much good if you 're going to culture fish , raise fish outside of the oceans or in confined areas in the oceans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the fish that they would have been eating from the rest of the ocean .
So they 're trying to find feeds that will be more sustainable in aquaculture , and that usually means plant-based materials .
So the trick is to feed the fish with materials that will end up giving the fish the same fragments that we can smell and taste that having a wild diet would — and that turns out to be a challenge .
On the chemical similarity between cat urine and some foods Animals use small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other to attract or to repel .
In the case of cats — male cats in particular — to mark their territories , they 'll put into their urine a particular molecule that in and of itself is too large to have a smell .
But once it 's released , microbes attack that larger molecule , break it up into smaller molecules .
It 's those smaller molecules that have the effect of really making cat urine smell as strong as it does .
So it 's a kind of natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precursor to the smells and then the microbes release the smells from the precursors .
... Sulfur atoms are really distinctive , give molecules very strong smells , at least as we mammals perceive them , and so these molecules in cat urine are rich in sulfur .
It turns out that sulfur molecules are also important in many , many foods — meats in particular , roasted meats especially , but also tropical fruits , fruits that we think of as having kind of exotic flavors , exotic aromas , things like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less exotic than passionfruit , blackcurrants .
You can try this at home .
Get some black currant jelly and then taste it and see if you do n't get a kind of — not a catty smell , but an unusual smell for a fruit .
So these sulfur compounds found in cats , also in human sweat , give another layer of aroma , another layer of interest to a number of foods that we would never associate with those things .
On why pavement in the city smells after rain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference between water and the things that have smells .
So it turns out that these small molecules that trigger our sense of smell are , by and large , not friendly to water and vice versa .
So you know how when you make an oil and vinegar dressing , you have to work hard to integrate the oil in the water because they naturally separate ?
Smell molecules are , generally speaking , much more like oil than like water .
So if there 's water around , they tend to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what 's happening with what the scientists call `` wet up '' in nature or on a pavement or actually even in our mouths when we have something dry — when we eat something dry , including chocolate — is that the moisture actually drives the volatile molecules , the smell molecules , out of the dry material that it 's coming into contact with .
So we get this burst of aroma that simply was n't evident before .
Lauren Krenzel and Thea Chaloner produced and edited this interview for broadcast .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Franklin adapted it for the Web .

From Stinky Cheese To Cat Pee, Author Takes A 'Nose Dive' Into The Science Of Smell
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alexander Spatari/Getty Images Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
Food science writer Harold McGee was in the middle of writing Nose Dive, his book about the science of smell, when he woke up one morning and realized that he couldn't smell his own coffee.
Loss of smell has since become associated with COVID-19. In McGee's case, it was the byproduct of a sinus infection. McGee remembers feeling panicked.
"I have friends in the kind of clinical side of taste and smell research. And so I immediately contacted them to find out what I could do and why this had happened," he says. "And they basically said, 'You're going to have to wait and see.' "
Over the course of a few months, McGee's sense of smell gradually returned. But he still remembers what it was like to live in an odorless world.
"It's the kind of thing where you don't notice something until it's gone," he says. "I spent less and less time cooking. There was no point in going out to restaurants because I wasn't really going to enjoy it."
McGee's new book is about how smell is essential to our sense of taste, why things smell the way they do and the ways different chemicals combine to create surprising (and sometimes distasteful) odors.
"One of the great pleasures of delving into smells in general was discovering over and over again that things that we enjoy in foods are actually found elsewhere in the world," he says. "And in as unlikely places as cat pee and human sweat, for example."
Enlarge this image Penguin Random House Penguin Random House
Interview Highlights
On why cooking creates an aroma
It does so, in fact, by kind of doing what it is that microbes are doing in fermented foods and inside us. It's breaking down these large, complicated molecules like proteins and fats, which are too big to have an aroma because they're not able to fly through the air and reach our nose. Cooking — using heat, energy — breaks apart those large molecules into smaller ones, and those smaller ones are what we experience as the typical aromas of cooking foods.
On why smell is so important in tasting food
It turns out to be the dominant sense in our appreciation and perception of food. ... What we call "flavor" — the overall quality of a food, [the] sensory quality of food — is built of several different sensations. One of them is taste on the tongue, which is limited to about a half dozen to a dozen different sensations: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory, things like that. And then the sense of smell is actually able to distinguish among hundreds, thousands, maybe many more than thousands of molecules. And so the distinctiveness of particular foods really comes from our perception of their aromas — their smells — and not so much their taste.
On why some cheese smells like vomit
The reason that there is that kind of crossover is that both of those materials --the cheese and the vomit — contain a number of different volatile molecules that we can smell. ... One of the most prominent in both of them is butyric acid, which is a breakdown product, a small fragment of ordinary fats that we find in foods of all kinds — especially cheese — which is very rich in animal fats. So when cheeses are fermented by microbes, those microbes, in the process of the fermentation, break down some of the animal fats, the ... milk fats into butyric acid. And that's an element of flavor which actually becomes stronger and stronger with time.
There's also butyric acid in vomit, because the stuff that we have upchucked has been in our stomach — we've been breaking it down into its components, and butyric acid is a prominent component in almost everything we have. That echo is from that molecule and maybe a few others, and our reaction to that molecule is dependent on the context. If we're sitting down at a table and cutting ourselves a piece of cheese, it's a nice kind of accent in the flavor of that cheese. If we're feeling really sick and staring at a toilet, then it's a very different context.
On why grass-fed beef tastes different than grain-fed beef
It's absolutely true that the foods that animals eat in order to grow affect the way they taste when we, in turn, eat them as food. And in the case of grass and grain-fed animals, the difference is in the kinds of fat that they take in. So it's not that we're actually tasting grass or tasting grain when we detect the difference between the two. It's actually the fact that the fats — the oils in grass — are very irregular molecules, and they tend to be broken down in the animal into particular fragments that are very characteristic of those original fats and oils.
When we feed animals with grain, we give them a very different diet. The fats and oils in grains are very different from the fats and oils in the grass. The other thing about a grain diet is that it's a much richer diet, of course, than pasture feeding. And so the tissue is much fattier, the meat is much fattier, and we're tasting predominantly the fats from the grains. When we have grass-fed beef, it's much leaner. They're just different, and different people in different countries have different preferences. We in America tend to prefer the flavor of grain-fed beef because that's what we've been used to for decades now. But in other parts of the world, in South America, where a lot of beef is raised, and in Europe, the flavor of grass-fed beef is much preferred.
On fisheries experimenting on what to feed fish
They are, in fact, trying out better ways to make fish, in a sense, taste fishier because aquaculture is becoming more and more important for sparing the wild populations in the oceans. Many of the animals — many of the fish — in the oceans eat other fish. And so it doesn't really do that much good if you're going to culture fish, raise fish outside of the oceans or in confined areas in the oceans, but then go ahead and feed them all the fish that they would have been eating from the rest of the ocean. So they're trying to find feeds that will be more sustainable in aquaculture, and that usually means plant-based materials. So the trick is to feed the fish with materials that will end up giving the fish the same fragments that we can smell and taste that having a wild diet would — and that turns out to be a challenge.
On the chemical similarity between cat urine and some foods
Animals use small molecules, smells, to communicate with each other to attract or to repel. In the case of cats — male cats in particular — to mark their territories, they'll put into their urine a particular molecule that in and of itself is too large to have a smell. But once it's released, microbes attack that larger molecule, break it up into smaller molecules. It's those smaller molecules that have the effect of really making cat urine smell as strong as it does. So it's a kind of natural time-release system. The cat releases the precursor to the smells and then the microbes release the smells from the precursors. ...
Sulfur atoms are really distinctive, give molecules very strong smells, at least as we mammals perceive them, and so these molecules in cat urine are rich in sulfur. It turns out that sulfur molecules are also important in many, many foods — meats in particular, roasted meats especially, but also tropical fruits, fruits that we think of as having kind of exotic flavors, exotic aromas, things like passionfruit, for example, and, less exotic than passionfruit, blackcurrants. You can try this at home. Get some black currant jelly and then taste it and see if you don't get a kind of — not a catty smell, but an unusual smell for a fruit. So these sulfur compounds found in cats, also in human sweat, give another layer of aroma, another layer of interest to a number of foods that we would never associate with those things.
On why pavement in the city smells after rain
It has to do with the chemical difference between water and the things that have smells. So it turns out that these small molecules that trigger our sense of smell are, by and large, not friendly to water and vice versa. So you know how when you make an oil and vinegar dressing, you have to work hard to integrate the oil in the water because they naturally separate? Smell molecules are, generally speaking, much more like oil than like water. So if there's water around, they tend to go in the other direction. And what's happening with what the scientists call "wet up" in nature or on a pavement or actually even in our mouths when we have something dry — when we eat something dry, including chocolate — is that the moisture actually drives the volatile molecules, the smell molecules, out of the dry material that it's coming into contact with. So we get this burst of aroma that simply wasn't evident before.
Lauren Krenzel and Thea Chaloner produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Deborah Franklin adapted it for the Web.


npr--2020-11-11--With Alaska GOP Victory, Balance of Power In Senate To Be Decided In Georgia

With Alaska GOP Victory , Balance of Power In Senate To Be Decided In Georgia Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has won reelection in Alaska , giving Republicans 50 seats in the Senate and leaving the balance of power in the chamber to be decided in a pair of January runoff elections in Georgia .
The Associated Press called the race for Sullivan more than a week after Election Day after votes trickled in from remote areas of the vast state .
Sullivan defeated Al Gross , a surgeon and first-time candidate who raised significant money with the help of national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help flip the state and the Senate .
That wave never materialized , and the path for Democratic control in the Senate has narrowed significantly .
Republican fended off challenges in hotly contested seats in Maine , South Carolina , North Carolina , Iowa and Montana and picked up a seat in Alabama where Tommy Tuberville defeated incumbent Democrat Doug Jones .
In North Carolina , the AP has not called the race , but Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham conceded to GOP Sen. Thom Tillis on Tuesday .
Gross , like many other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial resources from across the country .
But that cash could not outrun Sullivan 's record in the state and GOP attempts to cast Gross as far-left liberal .
The energy and focus for both parties had already shifted to Georgia well before the race was called in Alaska .
The heated battle over those seats has become entwined with President Trump 's ongoing battle to contest the outcome of the election despite increasing margins of victory for President-elect Joe Biden in both Georgia and Pennsylvania .
Incumbent Republican Sens .
Kelly Loeffler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the top election official in Georgia step down over unsupported claims of failures in the state 's election process .
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , himself a Republican , called the claims `` laughable '' and refused to step aside .
The early rancor and fighting over the presidential election results , which are headed for a recount despite Biden 's growing lead , is a preview of the intense fight to come over the fate of the two Senate seats .
Vice President Pence told GOP senators that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and national Democrats are already pouring money and support to their challengers , Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock .
The Georgia runoffs are slated for Jan. 5 , after the Senate is scheduled to begin a new session .
That uncertainty means the Senate will be unable to officially organize until the results of that election are finalized .

With Alaska GOP Victory, Balance Of Power In Senate To Be Decided In Georgia
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Thiessen/AP Mark Thiessen/AP
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has won reelection in Alaska, giving Republicans 50 seats in the Senate and leaving the balance of power in the chamber to be decided in a pair of January runoff elections in Georgia.
The Associated Press called the race for Sullivan more than a week after Election Day after votes trickled in from remote areas of the vast state. Sullivan defeated Al Gross, a surgeon and first-time candidate who raised significant money with the help of national Democrats who hoped a blue wave could help flip the state and the Senate.
That wave never materialized, and the path for Democratic control in the Senate has narrowed significantly. Republican fended off challenges in hotly contested seats in Maine, South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa and Montana and picked up a seat in Alabama where Tommy Tuberville defeated incumbent Democrat Doug Jones. In North Carolina, the AP has not called the race, but Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham conceded to GOP Sen. Thom Tillis on Tuesday.
Gross, like many other Democrats this cycle, ran with significant financial resources from across the country. But that cash could not outrun Sullivan's record in the state and GOP attempts to cast Gross as far-left liberal.
The energy and focus for both parties had already shifted to Georgia well before the race was called in Alaska. The heated battle over those seats has become entwined with President Trump's ongoing battle to contest the outcome of the election despite increasing margins of victory for President-elect Joe Biden in both Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Incumbent Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue joined together to demand that the top election official in Georgia step down over unsupported claims of failures in the state's election process.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, himself a Republican, called the claims "laughable" and refused to step aside.
The early rancor and fighting over the presidential election results, which are headed for a recount despite Biden's growing lead, is a preview of the intense fight to come over the fate of the two Senate seats. Vice President Pence told GOP senators that he plans to campaign in the state, and national Democrats are already pouring money and support to their challengers, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
The Georgia runoffs are slated for Jan. 5, after the Senate is scheduled to begin a new session. That uncertainty means the Senate will be unable to officially organize until the results of that election are finalized.


npr--2020-11-12--China Is Inoculating Thousands With Unapproved COVID-19 Vaccines. Why?

China Is Inoculating Thousands With Unapproved COVID-19 Vaccines .
Why ?
One early November morning , a Peking duck cook , several construction workers and a software engineer patiently lined up outside a Beijing vaccine facility , awaiting their turn to be injected with a coronavirus vaccine still awaiting regulatory approval .
As countries around the world race to develop the first viable coronavirus vaccine , China 's two biggest vaccine firms have already begun inoculating hundreds of thousands of mostly state workers in a bid to get a head start .
But deploying unproven vaccines carries huge risks – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic control efforts .
The major worry is that vaccinations will give people who 've had them a sense of invincibility that is not warranted – and that could help spread the virus .
A vaccine may work to prevent bad outcomes from infection , but Jerome Kim , director general of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul , South Korea , warns that in some cases it may not prevent infection itself .
`` That could mean that a person could still transmit the virus after they 've been vaccinated , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China given preferential access to the experimental vaccine , the unorthodox approach is a sign of China 's strength — first in controlling a coronavirus epidemic , then in its ability to potentially protect its workers .
`` There is no problem at all .
Lots of our colleagues had the shot very early , as early as July , '' says Guo Peiyu , a construction worker for state behemoth China Railway Group .
He is one of hundreds of workers being sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dollars worth of roads in exchange for mineral mining rights .
Guo sees access to the vaccine as a perk that comes with his state job .
`` Your company is giving you a guarantee of safety , in exchange for sending you abroad .
After all , if you do n't have your health , who cares how much money you earn ? ''
Not Ready ...
Except For 'Emergency Use' China has four experimental vaccines developed by three companies now going through phase III human trials and safety testing before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sinopharm and Sinovac , the two front-runners , have both stressed they are not ready to deploy their vaccines commercially .
`` The vaccines developed by Sinopharm are in the final sprint , the last kilometer in a long march , '' said Liu Jingzhen , the company 's chairman , said at a government press conference in October .
In reality , their vaccines had already been deployed months earlier this summer for `` emergency use '' and shot into the arms of people that China deems vulnerable to COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ providers in large cities .
Sinovac has already set up several vaccination sites in China 's coastal Zhejiang province where several hundred vaccine doses each day are sold first come first serve for around RMB400 ( $ 60 ) in out of pocket costs .
Other countries are following suit ; the Philippines says it will vaccinate up to nine million people with Sinovac 's product .
The Brazilian state of Sao Paolo is conducting advanced human trials for Sinovac and intends to buy the vaccine once approved .
Brazilian authorities temporarily suspended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparent suicide of one of the trial participants .
`` Administering the vaccines through emergency use is a very necessary measure , '' Zheng Zhongwei , a director at China 's CDC speaking at the same October press conference , explained .
`` The decision to approve emergency use came after rounds and rounds of strict debate and evaluation after relevant World Health Organization regulations were fulfilled . ''
Global health experts say that reasoning is flawed .
`` There is no emergency in China , because there are basically zero confirmed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jin Dong-Yan , who researches molecular virology at Hong Kong University .
As of November , Sinopharm said `` hundreds of thousands '' of people have been given its two-shot experimental vaccine , and none had so far developed severe side effects beyond mild pain at the injection site .
Many needing vaccinated were due to travel abroad for work , where coronavirus cases are still mounting , health authorities said earlier , but Sinopharm said only 56,000 of vaccine recipients have gone abroad .
There are other risks , too .
Antibodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be found to make things worse .
`` I think the second question will be around something called enhanced respiratory disease , '' says Kim , referring to a form of lung disease that some animals developed after getting experimental vaccines for SARS , another coronavirus that infected 8,098 people from 2002 to 2004 .
Beyond health , rolling out vaccines without all the data raises other risks for China .
Already , a string of quality scandals over the years has people inside the country , and out , skittish about made-in-China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these vaccines , it would be a disaster .
`` If they chose to do this and they ruin their reputation , that will just make things worse and no one dare to use a Chinese vaccine anymore , '' says Hong Kong University 's Jin .
So why take the risk and deploy unproven COVID vaccines when there 's no immediate scientific emergency ?
`` It 's more driven by commercial interests than by the public health needs , let me put it this way , '' says Yanzhong Huang , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Companies like Sinopharm will not have any pricing power once the vaccine is approved and formally rolled out ; the government will control that .
Right now , however , they can charge what they like – and they are influential enough to convince the government to leave open this window .
`` We tend to think that this authoritarian state is making the decisions like a coherent , centralized process , but that is not the case in China , '' says Huang .
So who is eligible for early inoculation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its two vaccine makers have clarified how they determine who qualifies for the vaccine .
Within China , locking in a vaccination slot is still a coveted — and limited — commodity granted mostly to blue chip state firms .
Sinopharm did not respond to multiple requests for comment .
At a November health conference , Liu , the Sinopharm chairman , said among those vaccinated were `` state-owned enterprise workers sent to various overseas offices , Huawei 's offices in 180 countries around the world and [ China 's ] diplomats .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Products , a Sinopharm subsidiary in charge of one of its two vaccines , an NPR reporter interviewed dozens of state employees waiting for their vaccination shots .
Many said they worked for state-owned companies active in the Belt and Road , a Chinese global infrastructure initiative spanning the African continent and the Middle East .
`` I need the vaccine .
The pandemic is so bad outside China , '' said Cheng Litong , a construction worker for China Railway waiting for his second shot .
`` Now state workers already abroad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine when they return to China . ''
But some vaccine recipients NPR spoke to in Beijing included state-employed bureaucrats and office workers with no immediate plans to travel abroad .
`` The company notified us new hires had to be vaccinated , so I came to Beijing , '' said Xiao Nan , an office administrator at a China Railway subsidiary based in China 's northern Shandong province .
He says he is baffled about why he needs vaccination , because his work does not require him to leave the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety purposes , '' he says shrugging .
Others have been turned away .
In October , Chinese outlets reported students studying abroad could sign up for Sinopharm 's coronavirus vaccine in Beijing and Wuhan , the port city where the epidemic first began .
But the registration platform was taken down the next day , and those who had signed up were notified that Sinopharm could no longer provide the vaccine .

China Is Inoculating Thousands With Unapproved COVID-19 Vaccines. Why?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Wang Zhao /AFP via Getty Images Wang Zhao /AFP via Getty Images
One early November morning, a Peking duck cook, several construction workers and a software engineer patiently lined up outside a Beijing vaccine facility, awaiting their turn to be injected with a coronavirus vaccine still awaiting regulatory approval.
As countries around the world race to develop the first viable coronavirus vaccine, China's two biggest vaccine companies have already begun inoculating hundreds of thousands of mostly state workers in a bid to get a head start. But deploying unproven vaccines carries huge risks – both for those receiving the vaccination and epidemic control efforts. The major worry is that vaccinations will give people who've had them a sense of invincibility that is not warranted – and that could help spread the virus.
A vaccine may work to prevent bad outcomes from infection, but Jerome Kim, director-general of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, South Korea, warns that in some cases it may not prevent infection itself. "That could mean that a person could still transmit the virus after they've been vaccinated," he said.
But among those in China given preferential access to the experimental vaccine, the unorthodox approach is a sign of China's strength — first in controlling a coronavirus epidemic, then in its ability to potentially protect its workers.
"There is no problem at all. Lots of our colleagues had the shot very early, as early as July," says Guo Peiyu, a construction worker for state behemoth China Railway Group. He is one of hundreds of workers being sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo this month, where China Railway is building billions of dollars worth of roads in exchange for mineral mining rights.
Guo sees access to the vaccine as a perk that comes with his state job. "Your company is giving you a guarantee of safety in exchange for sending you abroad. After all, if you don't have your health, who cares how much money you earn?"
Not ready except for "emergency use"
China has four experimental vaccines developed by three companies now going through phase III human trials and safety testing before they can be approved for commercial use. Sinopharm and Sinovac, the two front-runners, have both stressed they are not ready to deploy their vaccines commercially.
"The vaccines developed by Sinopharm are in the final sprint, the last kilometer in a long march," said Liu Jingzhen, the company's chairman, said at a government press conference in October.
In reality, their vaccines had already been deployed months earlier this summer for "emergency use" and shot into the arms of people that China deems vulnerable to COVID-19, including front-line medical workers and critical service providers in large cities.
Sinovac has already set up several vaccination sites in China's coastal Zhejiang province where several hundred vaccine doses each day are sold first come first served for about RMB400 ($60) in out of pocket costs. Other countries are following suit; the Philippines says it will vaccinate up to 9 million people with Sinovac's product. The Brazilian state of Sao Paolo is conducting advanced human trials for Sinovac and intends to buy the vaccine once approved. Brazilian authorities temporarily suspended the trials this month however after an apparent suicide of one of the trial participants.
"Administering the vaccines through emergency use is a very necessary measure," Zheng Zhongwei, a director at China's CDC speaking at the same October press conference, explained. "The decision to approve emergency use came after rounds and rounds of strict debate and evaluation after relevant World Health Organization regulations were fulfilled."
Global health experts say that reasoning is flawed. "There is no emergency in China, because there are basically zero confirmed cases over many months already," says Jin Dong-Yan, who researches molecular virology at Hong Kong University.
As of November, Sinopharm said "hundreds of thousands" of people have been given its two-shot experimental vaccine and none had so far developed severe side effects beyond mild pain at the injection site. Many needing to be vaccinated were due to travel abroad for work, where coronavirus cases are still mounting, health authorities said earlier, but Sinopharm said only 56,000 vaccine recipients have gone abroad.
There are other risks, too. Antibodies from new vaccines in rare cases can be found to make things worse.
"I think the second question will be around something called enhanced respiratory disease," says Kim, referring to a form of lung disease that some animals developed after getting experimental vaccines for SARS, another coronavirus that infected 8,098 people from 2002 to 2004.
Beyond health, rolling out vaccines without all the data raises other risks for China. Already, a string of quality scandals over the years has people inside the country, and out, skittish about made-in-China drugs. If something goes wrong with these vaccines, it would be a disaster.
"If they chose to do this and they ruin their reputation, that will just make things worse and no one dare to use a Chinese vaccine anymore," says Hong Kong University's Jin.
So why take the risk and deploy unproven COVID-19 vaccines when there's no immediate scientific emergency? "It's more driven by commercial interests than by the public health needs, let me put it this way," says Yanzhong Huang, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Companies like Sinopharm will not have any pricing power once the vaccine is approved and formally rolled out; the government will control that. Right now, however, they can charge what they like – and they are influential enough to persuade the government to leave open this window.
"We tend to think that this authoritarian state is making the decisions like a coherent, centralized process, but that is not the case in China," says Huang.
Early recipients
So who is eligible for early inoculation? Neither China's health regulators nor its two vaccine-makers have clarified how they determine who qualifies for the vaccine.
Within China, locking in a vaccination slot is still a coveted — and limited — commodity granted mostly to blue chip state firms. Sinopharm did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
At a November health conference, Liu, the Sinopharm chairman, said among those vaccinated were "state-owned enterprise workers sent to various overseas offices, Huawei's offices in 180 countries around the world and [China's] diplomats."
Outside the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, a Sinopharm subsidiary in charge of one of its two vaccines, an NPR reporter interviewed dozens of state employees waiting for their vaccination shots. Many said they worked for state-owned companies active in the Belt and Road, a Chinese global infrastructure initiative spanning the African continent and the Middle East.
"I need the vaccine. The pandemic is so bad outside China," said Cheng Litong, a construction worker for China Railway waiting for his second shot. "Now state workers already abroad are all lining up to get the vaccine when they return to China."
But some vaccine recipients NPR spoke to in Beijing included state-employed bureaucrats and office workers with no immediate plans to travel abroad.
"The company notified us new hires had to be vaccinated, so I came to Beijing," said Xiao Nan, an office administrator at a China Railway subsidiary based in China's northern Shandong province. He says he is baffled about why he needs vaccination, because his work does not require him to leave the country. "I was told it was for safety purposes," he said, shrugging.
Others have been turned away. In October, Chinese outlets reported students studying abroad could sign up for Sinopharm's coronavirus vaccine in Beijing and Wuhan, the port city where the epidemic first began. But the registration platform was taken down the next day, and those who had signed up were notified that Sinopharm could no longer provide the vaccine.
Amy Cheng contributed research from Beijing.


npr--2020-11-12--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak On Sept. 28 , the world marked a tragic milestone : 1 million deaths from COVID-19 .
That 's according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University .
And public health experts believe the actual toll – the recorded deaths plus the unrecorded deaths – is much higher .
While the number of cases has slowed in many countries that were hit hard early on by coronavirus , the number of new cases continues to increase .
Since early July , new daily cases averaged over 200,000 worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January .
At over 9 million cases , the United States leads the world 's COVID-19 crisis .
In late spring and early summer , new COVID-19 cases were largely driven by cases in the Americas .
While the U.S. has consistently had the most new daily cases of coronavirus in the region , Brazil 's new daily cases increased rapidly between May and August .
However , in September , several countries that had previously flattened their curve saw a resurgence in cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , daily case counts have risen swiftly since June , without signs of slowing down .
Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time .
The first chart compares each continent to each other , while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region .
To compare country outbreaks , the chart below graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each country 's totals to date .
This type of visualization highlights a state 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In countries like Israel , which is seeing a second wave of case growth after an initial wave in April , the line forms a V-shape , as the initially bent curve spikes upwards again .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on @ @ @ @ @

Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 600 million mark for infections
Editor's note: This page is no longer being updated. The last update was Sept. 5, 2022. For current data about COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world, Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data are useful resources.
In late January 2020 only a few dozen COVID-19 infections had been identified outside of China. A year later, the world tallied its first 100 million cases. It took the globe just 7 more months to pass the 200 million mark— then another 5 months to hit 300 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Now the virus has spread to every corner of the globe and has been blamed for more than 6 million deaths.
The United States, India and Brazil in that order have had the most COVID cases and the three nations collectively account for almost half of all recorded infections so far in the pandemic.
Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January 2020.
Loading...
Loading...
Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time. The first chart compares each continent to each other, while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region.
Loading...
Loading...
This story was originally published on March 30, 2020.


npr--2020-11-12--Coronavirus Is Surging: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak?

Coronavirus Is Surging : How Severe Is Your State 's Outbreak ?
More than 10 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 230,000 have died of COVID-19 .
Tens of thousands of new cases are reported daily nationwide .
In the graphics below , explore the trends in your state .
View the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , curve charts , a table of state-by-state trends over four weeks , or a map of total cases and deaths .
The map above shows the risk of infection in each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capita .
The consortium of researchers and public health experts who developed these risk levels advises states in the red category to issue stay-home orders .
They advise orange states to consider stay-home orders , along with increased testing and contact tracing .
Yellow states need to keep up social distancing and mask usage , and all states should continue testing and contact tracing .
To compare state outbreaks , the chart above graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each state 's totals to date .
This type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In New York , the curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
New cases fell from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to under 900 a day most of the summer , before starting to rise in the fall .
Explore the map above to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country for both new confirmed cases and reported deaths from COVID-19 .
New York was the original epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. As of mid October , California , Florida and Texas surpass New York for total cases to date , though New York still has the highest death total .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
To show trends , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week for the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of red have growing outbreaks ; those in shades of green , are declining .
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases and or update their methodologies .
For example , in early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconcile the historical data .
On June 25 , New Jersey included 1,854 previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers .
On Sept. 2 , Massachusetts changed its methodology for counting probable cases , which lowered its overall case and death numbers .
The JHU team maintains a list of such changes .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
Loading...
Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
Loading...
The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
Loading...
Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.


npr--2020-11-12--Asia-Pacific Allies Speak With Biden As Transition Continues To Move Forward

Asia-Pacific Allies Speak With Biden As Transition Continues To Move Forward President-elect Joe Biden reassured Asia-Pacific allies of the U.S. commitment to the region in phone calls Wednesday to the leaders of Australia , Japan and South Korea , attempting to allay concerns built up over four years of the Trump administration 's America-first policy .
Despite President Trump 's baseless insistence that he won the election , Biden 's phone conversations with foreign leaders show that key U.S. allies have acknowledged Biden will be the next president .
In summaries of Wednesday 's calls on his transition website , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries ' leaders , while addressing each nation 's particular concerns .
For example , Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan told reporters that Biden had assured him that the U.S. remains committed to defending the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea , as part of a five-decade-old U.S.-Japan bilateral security treaty .
Japan administers the islands but China , which calls them the Diaoyu Islands , also claims them , and according to Japan has sailed coast guard vessels near the islands for more than 280 days this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's website made no mention of the Senkakus , suggesting that he was avoiding confrontation with China over the issue .
In addition , his published remarks contain none of the Trump administration 's provocative codewords , such as protecting the `` free and open Indo-Pacific '' and the `` rules-based international order , '' which are widely understood to refer to a strategy of containing China .
Biden says he told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he looks forward to working with him on challenges including North Korea and climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no mention of Biden 's electoral victory , and Biden has suggested he will take a more cautious approach to dealing with the North 's leader Kim Jong Un than President Trump , who met with Kim three times .
Biden 's office said he told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that he looked forward to working with him on containing the coronavirus and addressing climate change , among other challenges .

Asia-Pacific Allies Speak With Biden As Transition Continues To Move Forward
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ahn Young-joon/AP Ahn Young-joon/AP
President-elect Joe Biden reassured Asia-Pacific allies of the U.S. commitment to the region in phone calls Wednesday to the leaders of Australia, Japan and South Korea, attempting to allay concerns built up over four years of the Trump administration's America-first policy.
Despite President Trump's baseless insistence that he won the election, Biden's phone conversations with foreign leaders show that key U.S. allies have acknowledged Biden will be the next president.
In summaries of Wednesday's calls on his transition website, Biden stressed strengthening alliances with all three countries' leaders, while addressing each nation's particular concerns.
For example, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan told reporters that Biden had assured him that the U.S. remains committed to defending the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, as part of a five-decade-old U.S.-Japan bilateral security treaty.
Japan administers the islands, but China, which calls them the Diaoyu Islands, also claims them and, according to Japan, has sailed coast guard vessels near the islands for more than 280 days this year, setting a new record.
But Biden's website made no mention of the Senkakus, suggesting that he was avoiding confrontation with China over the issue. In addition, his published remarks contain none of the Trump administration's provocative code words, such as protecting the "free and open Indo-Pacific" and the "rules-based international order," phrases that are widely understood to refer to a strategy of containing China.
Biden says he told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he looks forward to working with him on challenges including North Korea and climate change.
North Korean state media have made no mention of Biden's electoral victory, and Biden has suggested he will take a more cautious approach to dealing with the North's leader Kim Jong Un than Trump, who met with Kim three times, has been.
Biden's office said he told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that he looked forward to working with him on containing the coronavirus and addressing climate change, among other challenges.


npr--2020-11-12--Can President-Elect Biden Redo The 2020 Census? It's Complicated

Can President-Elect Biden Redo The 2020 Census ?
It 's Complicated President-elect Joe Biden 's win has some people asking if there 's an opportunity for a 2020 census do-over .
The past eight months of the national head count have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic , historic hurricane and wildfire seasons , last-minute schedule changes by the Trump administration and President Trump 's call to leave unauthorized immigrants out of a key census count for the first time in 230 years .
But whether there is a census redo is not entirely in the hands of the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ census — and it would come with a host of complications .
The Constitution has required a census every 10 years since the first U.S. count in 1790 .
Its main purpose is to produce the latest population totals that are used to redistribute the seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states .
It 's not clear if the state population numbers from a census redo could be used to reapportion the 435 House seats — or if there would be enough support in Congress to change any laws to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does allow for a `` mid-decade census '' in 2025 , but the results can not be used for congressional reapportionment .
With the 2020 census expected to be the most expensive census in the country 's history at around $ 16 billion , there are questions around whether Congress would be willing to fund another count so soon after .
`` I think a redo of the census would be the most drastic option that Congress and the new administration would consider down the road , '' Terri Ann Lowenthal , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subcommittee for the census , says .
`` There 's a reason it takes 10 years to plan for a decennial census .
A redo may not have to take 10 years if the Census Bureau were to use the same design , but it would still have to research and test a number of other elements . ''
Jamal Brown , the Biden campaign 's national press secretary , has not responded to NPR 's question about whether the president-elect supports conducting a new census in 2021 or 2022 .
Lowenthal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , instead , for the Biden transition team to set up a panel of experts , both within and outside of the federal government , to review early indicators of the quality of the 2020 census and determine whether it can be used to not only reapportion House seats , but also redraw state and local voting districts and guide the fair distribution of $ 1.5 trillion a year in federal funding .
Since April , the bureau has asked for four-month extensions to legal deadlines for reporting census data but has n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Census advocates say giving the bureau 's staff more time to run quality checks is one way to make sure the results of the 2020 census are accurate .
Last week , the bureau 's deputy director and chief operating officer , Ron Jarmin , said in a blog post that the processing of census results has `` not uncovered anything so far that would suggest '' the 2020 census wo n't be `` fit for its constitutional and statutory purposes . ''
There are , though , preliminary findings that raise questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college towns and of data about race and ethnicity .
Still , this month the inspector general 's office at the Commerce Department , which oversees the bureau , announced it is launching an evaluation of the bureau 's quality control processes .
The bureau is also continuing to fight a federal lawsuit , led by the National Urban League , that includes allegations that due to pressure from the Trump administration to finish the census early , the bureau weakened its standards and processes in order to make the count appear more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ task force organized by the American Statistical Association is recommending that the bureau release more detailed metrics soon in order for outside experts to check the quality of the results .
That task force includes two members of Biden 's transition agency review team for the Commerce Department who also served in government during the Obama administration — Nancy Potok , a former deputy director at the bureau and later chief statistician within the White House Office of Management and Budget , and Denice Ross , who focused on data projects and policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adviser at OMB .
The Census Bureau 's public information office , however , has not responded to NPR 's questions about whether it 's considering releasing any of the requested metrics .
Former bureau officials — including John Thompson , who served as director during the Obama administration and left months after Trump became president , and Jeri Green , who was a senior adviser for civic engagement at the bureau — tell NPR they expect a lot more transparency from the bureau 's civil servants under Biden .
A recent series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have raised concerns about partisan interference at the bureau among longtime census watchers , who are particularly worried about the administration 's push to reprioritize resources in order to try to get a count of unauthorized immigrants that would allow Trump to change the congressional apportionment numbers while he is in office .
The administration 's efforts have been challenged through multiple federal lawsuits , and the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Nov. 30 .
`` I pray that the career professionals at the Census Bureau , that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do their work without further interference for partisan purposes , '' says Arturo Vargas , CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund , who has served on one of the bureau 's advisory committees of outside experts .
`` They 've been gagged .
They 've been silenced and even arms twisted to a degree , and they 're tired , '' says Green , who has been advising the National Urban League on census issues .
`` They want the Census Bureau that they know and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the interest of the American people at heart . ''

Can President-Elect Biden Redo The 2020 Census? It's Complicated
Enlarge this image toggle caption David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden's win has some people asking if there's an opportunity for a 2020 census do-over.
The past eight months of the national head count have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, historic hurricane and wildfire seasons, last-minute schedule changes by the Trump administration and President Trump's call to leave unauthorized immigrants out of a key census count for the first time in 230 years.
But whether there is a census redo is not entirely in the hands of the president — who has limited authority over the census — and it would come with a host of complications.
The Constitution has required a census every 10 years since the first U.S. count in 1790. The main purpose of the census is to produce the latest population totals that are used to redistribute the seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states.
Key Census Dates During the last weeks of the Trump administration, there are two key legal deadlines for the 2020 census. Dec. 31: The commerce secretary reports to the president the numbers used to reapportion House seats and Electoral College votes. Jan. 10: The president reports the apportionment counts to Congress.
It's not clear whether the state population numbers from a census do-over could be used to reapportion the 435 House seats — or whether there would be enough support in Congress to change any laws to allow that to happen. Federal law does allow for a "mid-decade census" in 2025, but the results cannot be used for congressional reapportionment.
With the 2020 census expected to be the most expensive in the country's history at around $16 billion, there are questions about whether Congress would be willing to fund another count so soon after.
"I think a redo of the census would be the most drastic option that Congress and the new administration would consider down the road," Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former staff director of the House oversight subcommittee for the census, says. "There's a reason it takes 10 years to plan for a decennial census. A redo may not have to take 10 years if the Census Bureau were to use the same design, but it would still have to research and test a number of other elements."
Jamal Brown, the Biden campaign's national press secretary, has not responded to NPR's question about whether the president-elect supports conducting a new census in 2021 or 2022.
Lowenthal and some other longtime census watchers are calling, instead, for the Biden transition team to set up a panel of experts, both within and outside of the federal government, to review early indicators of the quality of the 2020 census and determine whether it can be used to not only reapportion House seats but also redraw state and local voting districts and guide the fair distribution of $1.5 trillion a year in federal funding.
In April, the bureau asked for four-month extensions to legal deadlines for reporting census data but hasn't received any from Congress so far. Census advocates say giving the bureau's staff more time to run quality checks is one way to make sure the results of the 2020 census are accurate.
Last week, the bureau's deputy director and chief operating officer, Ron Jarmin, said in a blog post that the processing of census results has "not uncovered anything so far that would suggest" the 2020 census won't be "fit for its constitutional and statutory purposes." There are, though, preliminary findings that raise questions about the accuracy of population counts in college towns and of data about race and ethnicity.
Still, this month the inspector general's office at the Commerce Department, which oversees the bureau, announced it is launching an evaluation of the bureau's quality control processes. The bureau is also continuing to fight a federal lawsuit, led by the National Urban League, that includes allegations that because of pressure from the Trump administration to finish the census early, the bureau weakened its standards and processes in order to make the count appear more complete than it actually is.
A task force organized by the American Statistical Association is recommending that the bureau release more detailed metrics soon in order for outside experts to check the quality of the results. That task force includes two members of Biden's transition agency review team for the Commerce Department who also served in government during the Obama administration. Nancy Potok was a former deputy director at the bureau and later chief statistician within the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Denice Ross focused on data projects and policy as a presidential innovation fellow and an adviser at OMB.
The Census Bureau's public information office, however, has not responded to NPR's questions about whether it's considering releasing any of the requested metrics.
Former bureau officials — including John Thompson, who served as director during the Obama administration and left months after Trump became president, and Jeri Green, who was a senior adviser for civic engagement at the bureau — tell NPR they expect a lot more transparency from the bureau's civil servants under Biden.
A recent series of political appointments by the Trump administration have raised concerns about partisan interference at the bureau among longtime census watchers, who are particularly worried about the administration's push to reprioritize resources in order to try to get a count of unauthorized immigrants that would allow Trump to change the congressional apportionment numbers while he is in office. The administration's efforts have been challenged through multiple federal lawsuits, and the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Nov. 30.
"I pray that the career professionals at the Census Bureau, that the researchers and the scientists are allowed to do their work without further interference for partisan purposes," says Arturo Vargas, CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, who has served on one of the bureau's advisory committees of outside experts.
"They've been gagged. They've been silenced and even arms twisted to a degree, and they're tired," says Green, who has been advising the National Urban League on census issues. "They want the Census Bureau that they know and love to be a transparent agency that has the interest of the American people at heart."


npr--2020-11-12--'I Come Up Short Every Day': Couples Under Strain As Pandemic Upends Life At Home

' I Come Up Short Every Day ' : Couples Under Strain As Pandemic Upends Life At Home Like many married and working couples first confronting the pandemic , Bianca Flokstra and Victor Udoewa tried to go on with their lives as normal .
Flokstra continued to work full time , while taking care of their kids , aged four and two .
She also handled most of the housework , while her husband helped from time to time .
It did n't work .
`` Those first couple of months were really hard , '' Flokstra says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A lot of tears . ''
The pandemic has upended many aspects of domestic life , and that has brought new attention to one of the most enduring disparities between men and women — the wide difference in handling housework and child care .
It 's what Marianne Cooper , a sociologist at the Stanford VMware Women 's Leadership Innovation Lab , calls one of society 's most `` stubborn '' divides .
`` The traditional gender division of labor is very durable , '' Cooper says .
`` Even the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , find themselves in a much more traditional division of labor than they ever would have intended . ''
Cooper , who has studied the issue extensively , says that divide , which is rooted in history and perpetuated by persistent societal norms , has endured even as women have joined the workforce in larger numbers over the decades , making record gains .
Yet even as more families become dual-income households , women still do 30 % more of the child care and 40 % more of the housework , Cooper says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home is now having a serious economic impact as entire families are forced home with schools closed and no child care options available .
More than 2.2 million women have left the workforce this year , far more than the 1.4 million men who have left as a result of the pandemic , according to the monthly U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data .
Proportionally , more women were employed in sectors that were hit hard by the pandemic , including hospitality and retail .
But Cooper , as well as many economists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moms during the pandemic is also another key reason forcing many women out of the workforce .
Flokstra , for example , says she had little choice .
She desperately needed sleep after exhausting days at a new job in international aid while also taking care of all her other responsibilities .
She started sending the kids to her husband , unprompted .
Then , she started drafting to-do lists — activities she and her husband would split day to day .
Today , her husband is more involved than ever .
Udoewa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dishes , and takes care of the kids for half the day , among other things .
He cooks dinners as well .
But getting there was n't easy .
It was n't that Udoewa was n't willing to help ; he was .
Flokstra says she had become so used to doing household chores that she found it hard to delegate — and trust — her own husband to do the job .
That hesitancy is surprisingly common among women , according to Cooper .
It 's a complicated mix of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as societal expectations on couples , where men are still seen as the breadwinners .
`` The end result is that oftentimes we have a division of labor [ at home ] that looks a lot more like the 1950s or 1960s than 2020 , '' Cooper says .
It 's an issue familiar to Flokstra , who says her own mother was a `` stay-at-home mom . ''
Flokstra is now pregnant with their third child .
And despite Udoewa 's more equitable help , she ca n't help but feel guilt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battling that guilt , that mom guilt of should I be with my children more ? ''
she says .
Nonetheless , she 's happy .
She credits her husband for stepping up , but she also credits herself .
`` That was also me , '' Flokstra added .
`` It was me forcing myself to say , 'Hey , I do n't have to do everything . '
`` Not every couple with children can make it work .
And often times it 's the mothers who give up the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and data intelligence company Morning Consult published last month showed that women are more than twice as likely as their male partners to reduce their working hours because of child care responsibilities .
Women are also more likely to quit their jobs or turn down a career opportunity .
`` Even after we look at households where the female contributes more to the household income than males , we still see females are reducing their hours more than males , '' says John Leer , an economist at Morning Consult .
But Raul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple .
Both have high-powered jobs and neither can dial back .
He runs a law firm with 13 employees .
She is the assistant dean at the University of Texas in El Paso .
Their hours are long .
When the pandemic hit and schools shut down , their kids , 11 and 6 , were forced to stay home .
Carrillo had to continue to go to work , but he offered to stay at home some days .
Uribarri declined , deciding it would be easier for her to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she had done it for so long .
`` To me , it seemed like more work to help him learn the onboarding piece of it , '' she says .
So , Carrillo did step up .
He has been picking up some housework .
He cooks breakfast for the kids .
He takes them out when he gets back home , so his wife can have a little time for herself and catch a break .
But he constantly feels like he 's not doing enough .
`` I feel like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he says .
And as Carrillo thinks about the future , he can sense the fragility of his family 's situation and wonders how long they can continue in the same manner if the pandemic stretches well into next year .
As for Uribarri , she 's trying to make it work as best as she can .
She does have a piece of advice for husbands .
It 's not sweeping the floors or setting up the Zoom calls for the kids .
`` I would tell husbands out there , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ask your wife , is there one thing I could help you with today ? ''
she says .
`` That 's it .
Is there one thing that would make your life a little bit better ? ''

'I Come Up Short Every Day': Couples Under Strain As Families Are Stuck At Home
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Xu for NPR Nicole Xu for NPR
Like many married and working couples first confronting the pandemic, Bianca Flokstra and Victor Udoewa tried to go on with their lives as normal.
Flokstra continued to work full time while taking care of their kids, ages 4 and 2. She also handled most of the housework, with her husband helping from time to time. It didn't work.
"Those first couple of months were really hard," Flokstra says. "There was ... a lot of fighting. A lot of tears."
The pandemic has upended many aspects of domestic life, and that has brought new attention to one of the most enduring disparities between men and women — the wide difference in handling housework and child care.
It's what Marianne Cooper, a sociologist at the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab, calls one of society's most "stubborn" divides.
"The traditional gender division of labor is very durable," Cooper says. "Even the most egalitarian-thinking couples, after having children, find themselves in a much more traditional division of labor than they ever would have intended."
Cooper, who has studied the issue extensively, says that divide, which is rooted in history and perpetuated by persistent societal norms, has endured even as women have joined the workforce in larger numbers over the decades, making record gains.
Yet even as more families become dual-income households, women still do 30% more of the housework and 40% more of the child care, Cooper says.
The disparity in work done at home is now having a serious economic impact as entire families are forced home with schools closed and no child care options available.
More than 2.2 million women have left the workforce this year, far more than the 1.4 million men who have left as a result of the pandemic, according to the monthly U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Proportionally, more women were employed in sectors that were hit hard by the pandemic, including hospitality and retail.
But Cooper, as well as many economists, says the burden placed on working moms during the pandemic is another key variable forcing many women out of the workforce.
Some couples have adapted.
Flokstra, for example, says she had little choice. She desperately needed sleep after exhausting days at a new job in international aid while also taking care of all of her other responsibilities.
She started sending the kids to her husband, unprompted. Then, she started drafting to-do lists — activities she and her husband would split day to day.
Enlarge this image Nicole Xu for NPR Nicole Xu for NPR
Today, her husband is more involved than ever. Udoewa sweeps floors twice a day, does the dishes and takes care of the kids for half the day, among other things. He cooks dinners as well.
But getting there wasn't easy. It wasn't that Udoewa wasn't willing to help; he was.
Flokstra says she had become so used to doing household chores that she found it hard to delegate — and trust — her own husband to do the job.
That hesitancy is surprisingly common among women, according to Cooper.
It's a complicated mix of "mother's guilt" as well as societal expectations on couples, where men are still seen as the breadwinners.
"The end result is that oftentimes we have a division of labor [at home] that looks a lot more like the 1950s or 1960s than 2020," Cooper says.
It's an issue familiar to Flokstra, who says her own mother was a "stay-at-home mom."
Flokstra is now pregnant with their third child. And despite Udoewa's more equitable help, she can't help but feel guilt at times.
"I'm always battling that guilt, that mom guilt of should I be with my children more?" she says.
Nonetheless, she's happy. She credits her husband with stepping up, but she also credits herself.
"That was also me," Flokstra added. "It was me forcing myself to say, 'Hey, I don't have to do everything.' "
Not every couple with children can make it work. And oftentimes it's the mothers who give up the most.
A survey by Moody's Analytics and data intelligence company Morning Consult published last month showed that women are more than twice as likely as their male partners to reduce their working hours because of child care responsibilities. Women are also more likely to quit their jobs or turn down a career opportunity.
"Even after we look at households where the female contributes more to the household income than males, we still see females are reducing their hours more than males," says John Leer, an economist at Morning Consult.
But Raul Carrillo and Laura Uribarri aren't that couple. Both have high-powered jobs and neither can dial back.
He runs a law firm with 13 employees. She is the assistant dean at the University of Texas in El Paso. Their hours are long.
When the pandemic hit and schools shut down, their kids, 11 and 6, were forced to stay home.
Carrillo had to continue to go to work, but he offered to stay at home some days.
Uribarri declined, deciding it would be easier for her to do the bulk of the household chores because she had done it for so long.
"To me, it seemed like more work to help him learn the onboarding piece of it," she says.
So, Carrillo did step up. He has been picking up some housework. He cooks breakfast for the kids. He takes them out when he gets back home so his wife can have a little time for herself and catch a break. But he constantly feels like he's not doing enough.
"I feel like I come up short every day," he says.
And as Carrillo thinks about the future, he can sense the fragility of his family's situation and wonders how long they can continue in the same manner if the pandemic stretches well into next year.
As for Uribarri, she's trying to make it work as best as she can. She does have a piece of advice for husbands. It's not sweeping the floors or setting up the Zoom calls for the kids.
"I would tell husbands out there — maybe every morning when you get up — ask your wife, is there one thing I could help you with today?" she says. "That's it. Is there one thing that would make your life a little bit better?"